Chapter 21
Remy and Kurt had just made it past the front gates when the radio started beeping. "Merde," Remy mumbled.
"I'll get it. Ten dollars says it's Scott."
"I ain' bettin' on dat."
Kurt smirked and pushed the button that would allow the feed to come through. "Kurt here."
"Kurt?" Instead, Hank's voice came through. Kurt side-glanced Remy, smiling wider. "Don't tell me you just left on your own with no sort of stratagem."
"Dat's what we did, Henri," Remy answered.
"I'm not surprised that I do not hear remorse in your voice."
Remy was ready to retort, but Kurt butt in. "You couldn't have expected us to sit around while Rogue is in danger."
"I know, Kurt. And I feel terrible… I don't want you to think of me – or any of us – as the 'bad guys', but you know running in without any sort of plan is just short of suicide."
Remy was not convinced. "T'anks f'r havin' faith in us, homme." He reached over and promptly clicked off the frequency.
"Remy!" Kurt exclaimed. "He was trying to be nice."
"It don' matter. Dis be 'bout Rogue an' Rogue only." His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white. "If I don' make it out, I don' care – long as she's okay."
Kurt stared at Remy's profile for a moment, stunned. "Did you just say you'd die for her?"
Remy blinked, realizing his wording. "Maybe I did."
"Do you mean it?"
Remy shrugged. "I know she's y' sister, but… how do I say dis…"
Kurt laughed. "You are in love with her, aren't you?"
"Quoi?" Remy almost slammed on the brake from hearing Kurt's words. "Dey got t' y' too, didn' dey?"
"Who is 'they'? I'm basing this off my own observations. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
The Cajun sighed, relaxing his grip on the wheel. "Ev'rybody knows dis but me."
"I think you're afraid to admit that you actually care that much for someone." Remy was about to say something but Kurt put his hand up. "Hold on, I'm not saying that you never cared for anyone, but Rogue was the one who showed you how to live again. She told me what kind of a childhood you had… I would ask her about Victor and if there was anything that I could do for her, but she insisted that you had a far worse childhood than her."
"She's full o' shit."
"I know. No offense or anything."
"None taken. My childhood was a playground compared t' hers."
"I wouldn't go that far from what she told me, but I won't get into it."
"Fair 'nuff."
"Anyway, so I'm listening to her all this time and I realize that she really admires you… sometimes I felt like she loved you more than me."
"Y' know dat's not true."
Kurt sighed. "I know… but I couldn't help but feel that, you know?"
"Oui. So… how does dis attribute t' me bein' in love wit' her?"
"Going back to her… she'd said that when she touched you, and it was often since you allowed it during training sessions and all, that every little bit made her feel like she was on the same level as you. No age barriers, nothing. Just you and her. I think you began to feel the same way. How often does the thought of Rogue being three years younger than you spark up in your head?"
"It has more often lately…"
"I mean in the last year or so, not the last twenty-four hours."
Remy thought about it. He and Rogue just chilled. They would talk, play card games, watch movies, just be together. Except for a few personality traits, they were the complete same – besides the obvious male/female factor. "I could say never, but dat would be pushin' it jus' by a li'l bit."
Kurt smiled. "See?"
"Dat doesn' mean I'm in love wit' her."
"If you want to deny it, fine. I'm not saying that you want to touch her in dirty, sexual ways, because that's goes completely against everything you two have built up. But there's more than friendship there."
Remy smirked. "It would be dirty t' y', wouldn' it?"
"She is my sister, Remy. I haven't forgotten that. I just want her to be happy though."
"Heh, de irony of dat statement…"
Kurt laughed bitterly himself. "I know what you're thinking. I'm having trouble convincing myself that this is going to be all done and okay, regardless of what'll happen next with everything. Rogue may have another hurdle to jump again."
"But me an' y'll get her t'rough dis."
"We will." After that, nothing was left to be said, so the duo drove in silence. While Remy drove aimlessly, hoping he was headed in the right direction, Kurt attempted communication with Logan. Nothing was coming off his end though.
After about five minutes of ear piercing silent driving, Kurt admitted "This is starting to be a really dumb idea." Remy didn't say a word. "Do you have any sort of plan for when we find them?"
Remy shrugged. "I be makin' dis up as I go."
"That's really going to help Rogue," Kurt scoffed.
"An' you have a brilliant plan?"
"You're the one who pulled me away from the institute."
"I'm de one wit' a million emotions flowin' t'rough m'head. I needed t' get de hell out o' dere. I can' think like dat. Besides, y' followed me, so don' start givin' me dis 'second t'oughts' shit."
Kurt shivered. He had rolled the window down so the brisk air could wake him up. It had finally gotten through his fur and chilled him completely. "I'm sorry."
"Don' be. I know y' not t'inkin' right because o' alla dis. I know I'm not eit'er."
"Is that what empathy is really like? Having everyone's feelings meshing together in your head?"
"It was never like dis because I had shields dat Rogue helped me make. F'r some reason, dey're breakin' now. I t'ink I may be too overwhelmed t' keep 'em up on m'own."
"That makes sense… do you think you'll be able to fix them later on?"
"Hopefully. I don' like dis at all. Before it didn' seem too bad, so maybe I developed ov'r de years an' didn' realize it because of de shields."
Kurt nodded. "It can happen. Things just sneak up like that on everyone these -"
The radio beeped. Remy glanced at it quizzically as Kurt leaned in to turn it on. "Kurt he-"
"Elf." It was Logan. "You just passed me." Remy slammed on the brakes. He said a silent 'thank you' to whoever was listening for the invention of seatbelts.
"Where are you?" Kurt asked eagerly.
"About a half mile back from where you are now. Go figure, I traced him ta some dumped out office building."
Kurt glanced outside and found that he was staring at some industrialized suburban part of the area instead of the constant fields that surrounded Xavier Institute. "We'll be there in a few minutes. Should we call the others?"
"I'll get in contact with them. Just meet me here. I'm about a block away from the building so the bastard can't sense me."
"Are you closer to us or beyond the building?" Kurt asked.
"Luckily I'm past the place. He would probably realize vehicles goin' by multiple times."
"Okay, then."
"Just turn 'round, park two blocks away an' get here yer way. Gumbo there with ya?"
"I be here, Logan."
"… Good. Sorry 'bout runnin' out on ya like that. I knew you were gonna be pissed."
"Shit happens, homme. Long as we get her back safe an' sound."
"That's what I wanna hear, bub." Remy could imagine Logan with a feral grin plastered on his face on the other end. "I'll see you guys in a few." He then cut the frequency off.
A small smile came to Remy's face. They had her. She was within reach – but were they too late?
As he turned the jeep around, he thought back to Logan's description of the building – an abandoned office building. Just like his old home in New Orleans. Things started clicking in his head. This whole abduction wasn't just to get back at Rogue for embarrassing Victor and leaving him without an object to expel his dirty actions on. The building was chosen to get Remy back; to make Remy think about burning Victor alive – practically killing him if he hadn't had the healing factor.
Remy's mind cranked out more ideas. This was war against Logan, too. Whatever past he and Victor had had, Victor knew what Logan was like: territorial and overly protective. He was hitting Logan where it hurt most – his heart.
As they drove closer to their parking place, Remy's train of thought halted abruptly. What about Raven? There was only a slight chance that Victor would let her get away with divorcing him. When the thought actually took the verbal sense in his mind, the more he feared for her. She wasn't home when Kurt called, and Irene didn't even pick up the phone.
Remy glanced to Kurt, who seemed to be gearing himself up for teleportation. He was basically meditating in his seat right then. Remy wouldn't dare tell Kurt that his mother may be in danger. Knowing Rogue wasn't safe was driving him to the edge of his sanity as it was. If something did happen to Raven, Kurt's whole family would be gone. His anchor to the world would be demolished. Remy didn't even want to think what Kurt would be like if Rogue and his mother ceased to exist.
"Park here," Kurt suggested, pointing to an open spot on the street.
Remy's eyes shifted over to Kurt uneasily. "Y' ready f' dis, mon ami?"
"Hardly, but ya know it's gotta be done."
"Oui. Let's go." Remy put the car keys in his pocket and held his hand out to Kurt. With a neutral face, Kurt took Remy's hand and concentrated on Logan's position.
They were lost in a cloud of pink smoke for a split second and when they materialized, Logan was glaring at them. "What?" Remy asked.
Logan put a finger up to his lips. "Shh. I have the feelin' he's more advanced… it took me too long to track him. His scent was too faint – almost changed."
"Do y' t'ink he's had help?"
"… Maybe. I didn't smell anyone else with him today, though." At that thought, he involuntarily sniffed the air.
"You c'n sense people from dis far 'way?"
"No. An' that's the point. I didn't want to be close enough so he could sense me. By the way, I called the others. They should be here in minutes."
Remy nodded. "Okay… so what now?"
"Remember in the Danger Room how we'd always do those search and rescue procedures?"
"Oui."
"Time fer real life application."
Rogue had tried repeatedly to open her shields, 'closet', anything – all with no success.
After so much time, she became anxious and restless. Why would he kidnap me just ta throw me in a room foh hours half naked?
She found herself standing up, stretching her arms above her head to get the kinks out of her system. The room felt larger once she stood up, but not by much. By then, her eyes had adjusted to the room's darkness. Some shadows stood more prominent than others. The room smelled wet… as if she were in a basement or something. She tapped her foot. The ground was definitely hard and cold and made of some sort of stone – completely flat with scattered pebbles here and there.
She took a tiny step forward with her arms extended. She stroked the empty air ahead of her. Convinced she wasn't about to hit herself on anything dangling or sitting in front of her, she took a few more cautious steps. She kept walking in baby small steps until her fingertip brushed against the stucco stone in front of her. It was bumpy, cold… Rogue surprisingly loved it.
She'd lived the last four years behind the barriers of cloth. She never realized how much she missed touch. Even as the rugged bits of rock along the wall tore into her skin and created tiny scratches on her fingertips and palms, she reveled in the sensation.
When the pain became too much, she pulled away. Despite it all, she had a smile on her face. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face to see the wounds, so instead she smiled. Inside it all, she now had hope. She would get past this just so she could experience touch like this again.
She never thought to experiment with touch. She knew if she stayed behind the fabric, everyone would be fine. Even when she was alone, the gloves stayed on. She never took her socks off either, even though she hated the feeling of the socks against her bed sheets when she was sleeping, but she must always be safe.
Now she missed her socks. Her feet were slowly freezing from the outside in. It was almost like a thick version of liquid nitrogen had been injected into her big toe and was slowly seeping its way into her entire foot, like molasses over biscuits.
Next priority… warmth. She quickly ran a hand through her hair without even realizing it. "Think, gal, think," she whispered. "How am Ah supposed ta find somethin' warm if Ah can't see?" It was a time like this when she actually wished Scott was around. She watched him do training sessions completely in the dark with some of the older, more experienced students. It helped develop all their other senses in order to find the goal of the exercise. "You never know when something as valuable as sight could be gone and you're left with nothing," he would say. Rogue imagined he'd trained his own senses to be alert in case he was ever without his ruby-quartz glasses.
Rogue suddenly stopped thinking. Footsteps were coming… above her. She looked towards the ceiling, fear in her eyes and heat. Loud footsteps. Footsteps that were all too familiar.
Light flooded into the room. Rogue flipped around and saw a lit up stairwell. The light was blinding as it was since she'd been in darkness for who knows how long. He's coming! Her mind screamed. Luckily, only a tiny amount of light had come in, as the door at the top of the stairs was still shut. Still, Rogue's eyes needed a moment to adjust and take in the gravity of the situation.
She quickly scrambled to underneath the stairs. If Victor were to open the door then and come down into the basement, she would be hidden for the time being. Her mind stung with the thought of his enhanced senses – she was too close to the steps, he would find her in no time. Hiding was futile.
Suddenly, the door swung open, filling the room with even more light, which prickled against Rogue's eyes. She had to blink several times before she could see again. Once she had gotten over the hurdle of seeing, she began to listen. She heard crying, moaning. Her flow of thoughts stopped. Momma? No, that couldn't be her. She's safe in California with Auntie Ir-
"Shut up, bitch, or I'll finish ya off now!" Victor's roar echoed through Rogue's ears and it took every part of her conscious to not cry out. It was up until that point she was hoping this was some sick, sadistic nightmare her mind had decided to torment her with. She would've been able to just wake up and trek to Remy's room like she used to and everything would be fine. Hearing Victor's voice so loud and so coarse made everything a reality. She was caught.
Although she couldn't see if from her position, Victor's silhouette loomed at the top of the stairs. The grin on his face couldn't be seen, nor could the blood on his fingertips. Rogue's senses were on fire. She felt her teeth dig into her lip again as she opened the wound she'd created minutes before to keep herself from breathing loudly. She acutely heard him shift his weight above her, as if he were trying to decide when to come down or if he was just going to taunt her by staying at the top of the stairs. Her nose flooded with the unpleasant smell of the basement – the mold, the dust, everything. She'd just begun to taste her own blood again when Victor took a step down.
"Ya ready fer me, Bethie?" Victor chuckled ominously. He casually sniffed the air. "Is that blood I smell, baby?"
"…victor… don't do this…" Rogue heard her mother faintly. The walls crashed down. Rogue sobbed once, but it loud enough for Victor to laugh triumphantly.
"She's mine, Rave. Ain't nothin' ya can do about it now." He took two more steps down, taunting Rogue with the slowness and noise of each one.
Please, someone, anyone, if ya can hear me, please, please, please, help. Don't let him take me. Please, please, please, please. Ah'm so scared. Ah don't have mah powers an' he's goin' ta kill me. Ah know it. He's gonna kill Momma an' Ah'm gonna die alone. Please, please, please, please –
Please.
Remy directed his head towards the building when the single word stuck out in his thoughts. It wasn't his voice. It was soft, pleading… it was Rogue's.
"Gumbo, what's the hold up?" Logan harshly whispered from ahead. They had silently skulked to the house uneventfully until that moment.
"I heard her. She's askin' f'help," Remy murmured in return, his voice lost and his gaze pointed at the office building.
"I heard it, too," Kurt said softly, a mixture of hope and melancholy in his voice. He laid a hand on Remy's shoulder. "We have to get there now. If we distract him, it may put her out of danger."
Logan nodded in agreement. "If yer sayin' she's in yer heads, that may be the best way to go. Elf, you wanna do the honors?" He held his hand out to the blue mutant.
"Where should I take us?"
"Somewhere on the second level. We can make some noise and hopefully get his mind off of Rogue for the moment."
"I'm goin' after Rogue." It wasn't a request on Remy's part.
Kurt glared at him for a moment, but then his eyes softened. He was about to say the same thing. Rogue was his sister after all. It was irrational to fight over something like that though. There was no telling whether Victor had help so two would be needed to fight. Sending one person to search for Rogue would be logical. Kurt just wished it were him. Remy didn't sound like he would back down from his statement at all. "Fine. We'll do what we can about taking Victor out."
"Let's go," Logan growled impatiently. "I'm ready to take that fucker out."
With the blink of Kurt's eyes and a single thought, they were gone.
They appeared again, landing loudly against the flimsy wooden floor. There was a reason this place was abandoned. Remy rolled away from them to against the wall. Kurt and Logan spread out in the same manner. The floor sounded like it was ready to break.
"Be careful, mes frères."
"You too, Remy," Kurt said, nodding as a sign of trust and honor. He was putting his sister's life in Remy's hands, and he didn't have a single doubt that Remy would fail. Logan motioned in the same manner, and Remy took off.
It was useless to tiptoe since the floor creaked with every ounce of weight put on it. His hand had snaked its way into his pocket, retrieving three cards. Each one was positioned as he'd practiced so many times: One between his thumb and index finger, another between his index finger and middle, the last in between his middle finger and ring finger. With a single thought, he could charge it with his power. He was afraid to though. What if he were to blast something and bring the whole place down? Not only taking out Rogue and himself, but Kurt and Logan as well.
Regardless of his second thoughts, he kept the cards poised in his hand, ready to charge and throw at a moment's notice. He made it to the stairs and cautiously took each step down. As he made it down to the second to last, he heard a scuffle above him. With his concentration lost, he stumbled down the final stair. "Merde!" he hissed when his foot lodged into the floor beneath him. He could feel the broken wood spear through his jeans. A few splinters made their way into his ankle as well.
Logan roared from the second floor, further drawing Remy's attention away from his ankle. He heard tumbling from one side of the ceiling, and then more from the other side. Both Kurt and Logan were being attacked. Until they took their opponents down, it was Remy against Victor.
With a surge of energy, he tugged his leg out of the wood with a strangled yell. He didn't waste a single moment on tending to any wounds he may have received from the fall. He had dropped his cards when he stumbled, so he pulled out another batch in the same manner. His eyes began to blaze as he swallowed all his power into his center. Save it, Remy, save it.
Rogue heard the noise from above and was distracted from Victor. Apparently his attention was diverted from her as well. "What the hell was that!" Rogue heard her mother laugh faintly.
"You… declared war… on Xavier's people by bringing… her here… Victor." She sounded stronger than she had a few minutes before.
Victor stepped away from the stairway and stomped over to her. Rogue jumped out of her hiding spot and ran to the foot of the stairs. Raven cried out as Victor grabbed her by the hair. "Shut up, bitch. Did you honestly think that I came here by myself! I know Xavier's people – I know Logan. The pussy can't fight on his own. I can smell him and others… Bethie's little Cajun bitch is here, same with your dickless son."
"Don't you talk about my son that way!" Raven screamed, thrashing out violently with a rush of vitality.
Rogue heard a sickening thump and Raven was silent except for a near silent moan. "And don't you talk to me that way." Rogue quietly made her way up the steps without realizing it. He was hurting her mother. Instinct took control of her body.
She heard him sniff the air. "Fresh meat…" he grinned, licking his lips. "I'll be back to finish this later, woman." Raven gave no reply. He then stood up and stomped away.
"Momma?" Rogue shakily called up the steps. She took a few more. "Momma? Are ya okay?" She prayed as she made it to the top, afraid of what she'd see. She peeked around the bend and couldn't help the cry that erupted from her throat.
She ran over and knelt next to her mother, who was lying sprawled out face down. With a quick glance over, Rogue saw blood pooling down next to Raven's abdomen. "Momma, come on. Talk ta me please!" She sat by helpless, not wanting to hurt her mother by touching her.
"B-bethany?"
"Momma, it's me! Can ya look at me?"
"… he just bashed my head into the floor, baby… I can't move… too painful."
"Ah can't touch ya… Ah don't wanna risk it."
"…Did he inject you… with something?"
Rogue nodded and when she realized her mother didn't see it, she responded, "Yes."
Raven took a deep breath, trying to collect her words. "… then your powers… have been negated."
"How?" Raven managed a shrug. Trusting her mother's words, Rogue reached out to turn her mother over. Her hands shook with each breath that came out of her in quick rasps.
"…beth… calm down, baby."
Rogue nodded again, and carefully took her mother's head into her hands. Delicately, she turned Raven over so she could see her face. Tears freely fell from Rogue's eyes as she saw as beat up her mother was. "Momma… Ah'm so sorry."
"…why?"
"Ah shoulda kept in contact instead o' bein' so stubborn an' we would've known this was comin' an' everyone would be fine an' peachy an' we would all be a family again an' this just isn't how it's supposed ta end!"
Raven's lips trembled as her golden eyes fell upon her daughter for the first time in over four years. "… Bethany… you're so beautiful." Her hand reached up to brush against her daughter's face. Rogue nuzzled into the touch, all her emotions on overload. Touch. Her mother's hand was going cold, but it was so soft – like feathers almost, or rose petals - a complete contrast to that of the wall in the basement. "It's not going… to end… you'll get out of this."
Rogue glanced to her mother's body. "What about you?"
Raven smiled despite it all. "… I'm another story."
"No! You're gonna be fine! You an' Auntie Irene can come live at the institute-"
"… Irene's… dead." Saying those words caused Raven's lips to trembled uncontrollably. Rogue had never seen her mother so vulnerable. She'd seen Raven be beaten up as much as herself, but taken it and hidden her feelings. She chose to drown herself in alcohol and self-abuse instead of evincing her true self.
"Did he kill her?"
Raven bit her lip and nodded ever so slightly. "… I wasn't home… Irene… she would see things… she didn't tell me about this…. I came home… found him," she stopped to gulp. "… licking her blood off his fingers… she couldn't defend herself! Everything is… my fault."
"Shh… don't say that, Momma." Rogue positioned her mother so she could cradle Raven in her arms. She gently petted her mother's bright red hair. "Ah'm goin' ta get you outta here."
"… no use. I'm too weak as… it is." Raven coughed violently. When she was done, blood had found its way to the corner of her lip. It formed a trail of red as it slid down her chin and just didn't stop flowing.
"Momma… no! Please, don't leave me here. Ah don't wanna be alone!"
"… you're never alone."
"But Ah need you!"
"… you," Cough. "… did fine without me," Cough. "…Bethany. You have Kurt… and that Cajun guy…"
"Remy?"
"Yes… him…" Cough. "… to take care of you."
"Don't leave me, Momma. Kurt needs you, too! Don't leave him!"
Raven's face contorted into what could be called a painful smile. "…tell him… I love him."
"No! You're not dyin' an' you'll get ta see him again!"
Raven wasn't listening anymore. "… I love you, Bethany."
"No!" Raven's eyes fluttered shut. Rogue shook her. "It's not yoah time! Please, Momma!" Raven breathed one more time and then she was gone. Rogue wearily shook her again. "Please…"
Something snapped inside Rogue. One second her mind was empty, in the next, the door to her closet had slammed open and her mind was swamped with everything at once. Somehow, Rogue stood up slowly without dropping her mother's prone body. Raven was in her mind. Just barely, but she was there, a watchful shadow. Show him what you can do, baby. I know you can. Her voice had joined the eerie one Rogue had heard of herself in the basement. They mingled together, creating one voice, urging her on.
Let the powers take their course. Avenge us.
The voice had opened the door. Rogue clutched her head in pain. Her body twisted and turned from the inside out. She felt her fingers tingle with four different powers, her mind pounded with the power of five psychics. The world around her was in tune with her. She could sense the weather changing outside – the clouds whirling around in an incoherent madness, just like her mind. The metal within a ten-foot range was at her command, and she didn't know what to do with it. Her body felt alive. She was weightless, and then she had so much strength in her.
She looked to her feet. She was off the ground. Suspended. Her hair flew around her, billowing in the wind that she had created in the hallway. Ah can't handle all of this!
You can. We will help.
Rogue floated away from her mother. With a fleeting glance, she whispered her apology for everything and looked towards the direction she was flying. Ah will get him back foh you, Momma. With a determine scowl set upon her face, she flew. Her hands burned, back ached for the release of wings that she just wouldn't let happen, mind expanding. Victor would be hers to destroy if it was the last thing she did.
Remy didn't even make it two feet before he heard the oncoming of Victor's feet. He had a fraction of a second to look up and glimpse the feral man pouncing on him. Victor growled with delight.
Remy didn't scream when Victor's hand came across his face. Luckily, he had the time to pull away a tiny bit so Victor's claws just grazed his face. They still dug enough to draw blood however. Remy ignored the pain as best as he could. He threw a punch to Victor's stomach, sending a slight and lightning quick kinetic charge to the man's shirt. Victor growled as he felt his shirt spread with the sudden heat, but did nothing to stop it. He left the shirt on and let it explode.
"I told ya that wasn't gonna work," he snarled, giving Remy the chance to watch the burnt skin heal within moments.
"An' I failed t' mention dat I don' give a shit," Remy responded through gritted teeth. The wounds on his face had been opened long enough to let blood drip down. Remy could taste the bitter copper flavor on his lip. He licked it clean.
He had his hands at his sides, cards still in hand. He felt Victor's anger, and it was becoming his own. His breath came out in snorts. It fueled his power. It was exactly what he needed to take Victor down.
Control…
Control…
Release.
With an impromptu battle cry, Remy threw the cards at Victor with everything he had. Victor recoiled from the blast reflexively and that was all the time Remy needed to launch himself onto the beastly man.
When Remy landed on Victor, he began an onslaught of attacks. All his Danger Room training was finally worth all the exhaustion, pulled muscles, occasional dislocated joint, everything. He really started to believe that he had Victor caught. Victor made growling and roaring sounds with every hit that connected Remy's fists, legs or knees into him. Kinetic charges were being released sporadically, some Remy knew about, others he didn't. Soon all the potential energy on all inorganic parts of Victor ceased to be. With a deafening blast, Remy was thrown off Victor and into the opposing wall. His head connected with the doorjamb with a sickening thud and he fell to the floor.
Stay awake, a voice commanded him. Remy managed to blink to keep himself alert.
Avenge us, said another, though it didn't sound like him at all. Rogue! And someone else?
"Rogue?" he murmured weakly. His vision was fuzzy, even more with the light sensitivity. He glanced out the window with achy eyes and saw lightning flashing. It hurt his head. Each flash was a hammer to his optic nerve, causing his head to pound with such ferocity that he wanted to cry. He could see snow and rain falling all as one. It was peculiar and it was all he needed. He could stay awake by focusing on it.
Focus on Victor! The first voice screamed at him."Vic..tor?"
A chuckle. "You called?" Victor's hand suddenly grasped Remy's neck, easily lifting him off the ground. "I'm gonna enjoy takin' you apart." Remy felt all the oxygen inside him catch in his lungs – no air coming in, none going out. What seemed like minutes of dangling helpless from Victor's strong hand was actually seconds. Remy tried wriggling in Victor's hold, but the more he moved, the more the hand around his neck clenched. "That's it, Cajun." Victor ran his thumb underneath Remy's chin, slicing the skin ever so slightly. "I wanna see yer skin blue against those devil eyes." Blood came to the surface of Remy's skin and trickled down his neck and Victor's hand.
Can' let him take me. Need t' get a hit in… Black dots began to appear across Remy's vision. The world hadn't been dark for him in so long. Only when he was asleep was he enveloped in darkness. Seeing the black sprinkled across his view caused him to panic. What if I died right now? I didn' help Rogue, Kurt an' Logan could be injured… Rogue is still in danger.
At this point, Victor was laughing madly. Remy's eyes fluttered shut as the last bit of oxygen in his body dispersed in his lungs. I'm sorry, chere, he thought dimly.
"Foh what?" The sound of her voice responding in his mind would have normally brought hope to him, but he was battered and not breathing. He couldn't get over the fact that he'd failed her.
"F' not sayin'…""No! Ah'm not losin' two of ya today!" She bellowed. She flew into the room where the first thing she saw was Victor's back. "Get away from him!" She shrieked. In her mind, she felt the fire of Jean's telekinesis burning bright. Victor turned and caught a glimpse of her hair on fire before she violently flung her arm towards the other side of the room. Victor was torn away from Remy and slammed into the opposite wall. With a strangled sob – half growl – Rogue pushed him with the stolen telekinesis until he fell through the wall into the next room. She knew that wasn't the end.
"Ah'll be back foh ya, sugah," she whispered to Remy's prone body. She feared if she got close to him she would see the worst. But then what if she could save him?
As if someone was listening to her prayers, Rogue heard another growl, different than Victor's. Tears sprang to her eyes as she recognized it as Logan's. He began his long overdue fight with Victor while Rogue rushed back to Remy.
"Remy? Please tell me ya can hear me." She knelt down next to him, feeling as hopeless as she did minutes before with her mother. She had her powers this time and she was still scantily clad in her underclothes. She briefly wondered what Victor had drugged her with since her mother did say it had affected her powers, but then realized Remy was really in need of her assistance.
"Chere?" he wheezed.
"Remy! Ah'm here, don't black out on me." Ah wish Ah could hold him an' say everythin' gonna be all raht, but Ah can't even tell how bad the wound is.
Remy heard every single word she thought. "Chere?"
"Remy? How can ya-""I don't know, but never mind. I need y' t' patch up my t'roat."
"How?""Dere's extra gloves in my pocket."
Rogue nodded wordlessly and quickly retrieved the gloves from his trenchcoat pocket. She pulled them on without a second's hesitation. Once they were secured on her hands (as Remy's hands were bigger than hers), she reached up to his neck. Blood was slowly flowing out. "It looks good, sugah. Just a scrape."
"I t'ink he screwed up my t'roat internally. It's hard t' breathe."
"Just do the best ya can," she soothed, easily ripping the hem of his shirt off in order to plug up the slice on his neck.
Logan and Victor could be heard throwing insults and each other across the room next door. Rogue feared they would end up in the room she and Remy were in. Her number one priority was keeping Remy safe.
"De ot'ers are on deir way," Remy murmured. He sounded so weak it made Rogue choke on tears.
"Who? Kurt an' Jean an'-"
"Kurt's here."
"Where is he!" Oh Gawd, where is he? Ah don't want him ta see Momma!
Once again, Rogue didn't have proper control over her thoughts and Remy heard them loud and clear as if they'd been shouted into his ear. Along with her thoughts came the brief image of the fallen Raven Darkholme, a pool of viscous and sticky blood surrounding her body.
"Oh no," Remy whispered without realizing it. His hunch had been correct.
Rogue blinked back tears. "You knew he had her? Ah mean, ya thought he would?"
Remy weakly nodded. "Kurt was upstairs wit' Logan when we first came in," he explained, going back to her initial question.
"Ah need ta get him." She stood up, casting a sparing glance towards Remy. "Ya gonna be okay?" He nodded again, but it was barely a motion on his behalf. "Ah'll be back, Ah promise."
"I know," he whispered, though it sounded like a croak. His lips hardly registered the movement and Rogue couldn't hear him underneath Logan and Victor, but she knew what he'd said. She'd felt it, like a warm breeze across her mind. She leaned down and brushed her hand against his cheek. She felt the first pricks of his stubble through the gloves. She suddenly remembered her actions in the basement. She wanted to feel Remy's skin like she'd down with the rocky wall. It was silly to think, but would his five o'clock shadow be as coarse as the stucco wall?
Remy faintly felt her curiosity as she softly caressed her cheek. With the last bit of physical energy that he had, he nuzzled his face into the open palm of her hand. "Go p'tite. I'll be fine."
"Ah don't wanna leave you." A single tear found its way down her face. "Promise me you'll stay awake."
"Promise, chere. Go. Get y' brot'er."
She nodded weakly and pulled herself into the air. Momentarily, she forgot about Remy. All the powers in her mind had yet to fade and she was scared. What's wrong with me? Normally Ah'd be rid of the powers by now. She flew out of the room and past the one Victor and Logan were fighting in via Ororo's powers. She hoped Logan was okay – but she knew how he fought and knew she had nothing to worry about.
She made it to the landing of the steps, still hovering as if the wooden floors were actually a pool of acid. "Kurt?" No answer.
She sent forth a psychic butterfly, courtesy of Betsy, calling his name. "C'mon, Kurt. Talk ta me."
"Rogue?" "Kurt! Where are you?""Upstairs keeping an eye on a pal of mine," he retorted smugly. "Are you okay? How are we speaking like this? Are the others here?"
"No… umm… mah powers are kinda messed up raht now an' Ah'm manifestin' everyone Ah've touched in the last six months that Ah've stored in mah head an' Ah'm just so confused raht now! Remy's hurt, Logan's beatin' up Victor an' Gawd, Kurt, somethin' awful happened!" 'Awful' was an understatement but Rogue could find a word strong enough to express her anguish.
"What?" He sounded anxious. Rogue could feel his concern and worry like a thousand needles along her spine.
"Come ta me an' Ah'll… show ya." It took all her will power to keep her mental voice steady. She was just about to show her brother their dead mother.
Within a split second, he was by her side. The first thing he noticed was her lack of apparel. "Christ, Bethany! What happened?" He eagerly pulled off his jacket and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she blushed momentarily before her face turned grave again.
"Beth – Rogue, what is it?"
She lowered herself to the ground only to look up at her brother with such loss in her big green eyes. "Kurt… Gawd, Ah don't know…" She looked away, her lips trembling uncontrollably. Every time she tried to form words a silent sob would follow.
"Rogue, just say it… please." He laid a hand on her shoulder, his solid yellow eyes blinking inquisitively. It was all Rogue could bear. He was the spitting image of their mother. The golden eyes, dark blue skin…
"It's Momma!" She wailed.
Kurt's face fell completely. "M-mom?" It took him a second to gather a coherent sentence. "What happened to her, Rogue?"
She pulled away from his touch, but continued to look him in the eyes. Her face quivered with the sudden wave of tears that racked her frail body and mind. "She's dead, Kurt! She's freakin' dead an' it's all mah fault!" She brought her hands to her face and just openly sobbed. She would have collapsed to the floor if Kurt's hands hadn't found her upper arms.
"What?" He couldn't have heard her right.
"He killed her," she muttered coldly underneath her sobs. "Ah felt her die… mah powers kicked in when she died. She's in mah head, tellin' me ta avenge her – us."
It took a moment for Kurt to rationalize his thoughts. "She's… dead?"
Rogue nodded behind her hands. "Uh-huh," she sniffled. "She told me ta tell you that she loves ya," she added quietly as she lowered her hands after a moment of incredibly awkward silence. "Ah couldn't save her, Kurt. Ah'm so sorry!" Her eyes sparkled with tears and grief.
Kurt's three-fingered hands clenched in and out of fists. His mother… dead. The four lettered word flashed in his head over and over again, like the lightning outside. "I.will.kill.him," he muttered slowly.
"What did you say?"
"I'm going to kill him," Kurt repeated. The look he gave Rogue was unlike anything she'd ever seen him glare at anyone. His golden eyes were aflame with every negative emotion in the book, his lips curled into a snarl. Rogue felt his seething rage, anguish, and fear slam into her with every breath he snorted out. Then he was gone.
"Kurt! No!" Rogue stood up and scrambled to the room Victor was in with Logan. To her horror, they weren't in there. "Logan? Kurt? Remy!" She heard some movement and then the sound of Kurt's teleporting.
BAMF! BAMF! BAMF!
"Get offa me, you sorry excuse for a squirrel!"
Kurt, Rogue internally breathed. She ran into the room, not finding Logan anywhere.
"P'…tite," she heard Remy weakly say.
"Remy, talk ta me. Where's Logan?""Knocked out. Victor threw a slab o' cement on his head. No tellin' how long he be out." His eyes fluttered shut for a moment and opened again, slowly. "He was comin' after me but Kurt came t' de rescue."
"Ah told him 'bout mah Momma. He's runnin' on pure adrenaline now! Ah wanna stop him but Ah'm so frightened, Remy. Ah can't think anymore!"
"Rogue… calm down. De ot'ers should be here any minute."
"That's not enough!" She checked over her shoulder on Kurt's progress. He had been taking cheap hits – punch, teleport, kick, teleport. She could see it was taking its toll on him after so much teleporting. He's weakenin'! On an impulse, Rogue extended her hands towards them. "Kurt, move!"
Her brother heard her voice and jumped away immediately. From Rogue's left hand, she shot Victor with a plasma blast she stole from Alex. From her right hand, she sent forth Alison's power. The air was void of all sound as she absorbed it into her hand. Rogue screamed to augment the amount of sound power but it was all white noise to Remy. The ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing Rogue in his mind. "Shut yoah eyes, Remy!"
The light streamed out of her fingertips not too much unlike Jubilee's ability, except no sound of fireworks accompanied it. To anyone else, it could've been a scene from a television show on mute. The light overpowered Rogue's left hand and catapulted Victor into the room across the hall.
When the light finally ceased it's expulsion from her hand, Rogue stared at it with wide, scared eyes. Her breath came out in quick, shallow gasps. "Ah did not just do that." She looked from her hand to the hole in the wall that led across the hall. Victor was out on the ground.
"Rogue?"
She blinked. Kurt. She glanced around to where he had jumped. "Are ya okay?"
"I'm fine, just really exhausted. How are you?"
"Ah feel great, actually. Physically that is. Mah head is still a mess."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get it sorted out," he smiled warmly. "The professor was on his way home with Ororo when we heard what happened." Rogue just nodded, not really making eye contact with her brother. The eyes still hurt too much. As if he could tell what she was avoiding, he softly asked, "Where is she, Rogue?"
Rogue swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat. "Down the hall. Ah don't wanna get her, an' Ah don't think you should either."
"I want to, Rogue. She's our mother. I need to say goodbye to her."
He can say goodbye to me now… said the mingled voice of Rogue and Raven in Rogue's head.
Tears welled in Rogue's eyes. "If ya want to… go ahead. Ah just need her ta leave mah head. She hurts too much. So much more than the others." She brought her hands up to her face, cradling her head in her gloved hands. Then realization hit. Gloves. Remy's gloves.
Remy.
Rogue whipped around and rushed over to Remy, who was slumped on the floor. "Remy, Remy? C'mon, speak ta me, sugah."
"Rogue?" He mumbled softly.
"It's me." His eyes blinked, but didn't focus on her. His pupils were gone. Solid red painted on top of midnight black. "What's wrong?"
"I can' see y'."
"What do ya mean ya can't see me?"
"Bright white everywhere. It hurts." He was close to whimpering. His eyes fluttered shut as if it could take away the brightness.
Rogue glanced over her shoulder when she heard Kurt departing via his teleportation. He was going to see their mother, despite how burned out he may have been. She turned back to Remy and took his face in her hands. "Didn't ya hear me ta close yoah eyes?"
Remy shook his head numbly. "It was like I was deaf. Now I guess I'm blind," he chuckled bitterly.
"It's gotta be temporary."
Ignoring her comment, he asked, "How're y' doin'?" His voice sounded stronger than before, but everything still came out in harsh whispers.
"Ah'm okay. Ah just told Kurt that mah head is a mess an' he said Xavier can help me."
"He pro'bly c'n."
"Yeah." She ran her thumb over Remy's cheek underneath his blank eye. "Ah'm so sorry."
"It's not y' fault." A cough. "How often do y' use Alison's power t' be able to wield it properly? Like y' said, it should only be temporary." I hope.
Rogue heard a glimmer of his thoughts and bent her head down. He couldn't see her cry, so it was okay. She felt his empathy reaching out to her – the only thing he really had left until he had suitable medical care. She dropped her walls and let him feel her, slowly so as not to overload him. They hadn't been one person, so to speak, in so long.
Her emotions trickled in through his broken shields like a river through a holey dam. Rogue herself tiptoed along the debris of the fallen stone. She heard Remy gasp. "Y' hurt so much, chere."
"Ah do." It wasn't a question.
"It's over, Rogue." He knew it really wasn't. He could sense Rogue's bitter laugh before it echoed through his mind.
"He's not dead, Remy. Ah'll never be free."
"Don' talk like dat! Rogue, I know dat in our time t'get'er, y' still had de naggin' fear of him, but y' grew besides dat. Y' learned so much 'bout life – much more den y' ever would've learned in de South. Y've grown in t' dis wonderful person dat people beg t' be around 'cuz y' happiness jus' radiates." He sighed deeply. "I learned so much, too. Mostly from y'."
"Me?" She glistened with purely innocent confusion."Kurt made it so clear f'me. Y' taught me how t' care. On de street… t'ings were lookin' bleak – I didn' expect t' see fourteen an' I didn' care. Wit' y'… I had a purpose. I have a purpose. No matter what shit I do, I know y'll be dere unconditionally, whet'er it pains y' or not."
"Ah… Ah don't know what ta say, Remy."
"I know what t' say. I love y', Rogue."
Rogue blinked. Did he just say that? She blinked several more times before the words actually took meaning in her mind. Remy, on the other hand, was feeling nothing but blankness from her. Should he have not said it? Did it seem forced? Dammit, I've gone an' screwed t'ings up an'-
Suddenly, he felt Rogue press her body against his in a hug. "Ah love ya, too." Tears were flowing freely from her eyes now. "Ah had no idea… Ah mean, where did this come from?"
"Between y' brot'er an' Sarah-""Sarah?"
"Oui. She's jealous," he chuckled.
Rogue giggled, but faint traces of uncertainty still prickled against Remy's empathy. "What's wrong?"
"Ah've always been confused about mah feelings foh ya. Like, it isn't the type of love in those cheesy romantic comedies where boy meets girl one day, fall in love the next, do 'it' the day after that, decide for weird reasons that it won't work out an' then they realize they're soul mates an' can't live without each other."
"You're ramblin' a lot t' day," Remy idly pointed out.
"Can ya blame me?" She asked aloud.
"Actually… non. But t' go on what y' said – we have much more den dat Hollywood bullshit. We're on a completely diff'rent level dan dat. T' tell y' de truth, I don't feel a single physical urge towards y'."
"Why? Am Ah not pretty?" She was so naïve – Remy wished he could look her in the eyes and explain this to her but the world was still piercingly white.
"Rogue… we have a different kinda love."
"That an' Ah'm way too young foh that stuff?"
"Exactly. I didn' wan' hurt y' by saying dat… y' age never used t' matter t' me b'fore – Not that it does now! Merde… I'm confused, too."
Rogue sighed wistfully. "Ah wish Ah was eleven again. Things were so much easier then… Ah wouldn't be worried about this – Ah mean – do Ah even know what love is?"
"I t'ink y' do… it's jus' a matter of puttin' it in t' words dat's makin' y' go crazy, because I know I feel it."
"Ya do?"
He laughed faintly. "Empat'y, p'tite."
Rogue giggled. "Raht, duh." She paused for a moment. "Things actually feel like they're gonna be fine."
"Dey do," he softly said. While he was just lying there, his energy had built up bit by bit. He wrapped his arms around Rogue, holding her tight, silently promising never to let go.
"Ah'm worried about Kurt," she whispered into his mind. "Momma looked awful before she…" She couldn't say 'died.'
"I know, p'tite. It's gon' take time t' get ov'r dis."
"It's gonna be so hard… Even though Ah hadn't talked ta her in so long, Ah thought about her all the time. She shows up in mah journal like every other day. Ah wanna hurt mahself foh bein' so stubborn an' not givin' her a chance ta make amends…" She choked on tears.
"Shh," he murmured. "Just give it time. It's too late t' dwell on de past."
"Ah guess ya're raht…" she sighed. "You'll help me, raht?"
"Course, chere. I'll never leave y' again. Not aft'r dis. Hell, I'm buyin' y' a leash f'r me so I can' ever get away."
Rogue giggled. It was full of life and sounded so sincere to Remy's ears. Ah, the post sobbing giggles. "The kind with shocks?"
"If y' like."
"Sounds like a deal ta me," she grinned, slightly pained that Remy couldn't see her smile. However, her smile brightened even more as she laid her head down on Remy's leather covered shoulder. She hadn't felt so safe in so long. She couldn't think of any other place that she wanted to be at that moment. Despite it all, she was happy. Almost like her short-lived ability to touch, she wished she could freeze that moment, even though so much torment had occurred for it to happen.
Although Remy couldn't see her, she'd given him the best way for him to experience her. Her emotions flooded his empathy to a point he could taste it. For some reason, he was thinking about chocolate when he heard it. Oh, merde.
Rogue was still cuddled into his chest when Remy shuddered. "What is it?" she whispered, looking up into his blank eyes.
"Victor," he whispered hoarsely. In a harsh moment's time, Rogue had been ripped off Remy and thrown across the room. In a small attempt to defend himself, Remy found some rocks and threw them at Victor without even thinking. The feral man was barely even stunned as he took numerous slashes at Remy, cutting his chest, abdomen and legs.
"NO!" Rogue screamed in a guttural tone. Remy had never heard her cry out like that – it was so primal it didn't sound like Rogue at all. Her anger boiled over and Remy was hit with the intenseness of all her absorbed powers, all combined into one. It was the last thing he remembered before his loss of blood overtook his senses and he blacked out.
"God, I feel like we're too late!" Jean cried, anxious to get out of the van. It'd taken every piece of her will power to not just levitate the car and take it to where Logan had said he and the boys were.
"They should be fine. We need to keep a clear head," Scott soothed, rubbing her hand. Bobby had just pulled the van up to the office building when the ground began to shake.
"Oh my stars and garters," Hank breathed, bounding out of the car and running full kilt towards the building. His previous conversation with the boys had left him guilt-stricken and he knew in his heart that they had the right idea of going without the rest of the team.
Betsy and Kitty were the next out of the van. Betsy immediately took to scanning the area psychically while Kitty chased Hank up to the front entrance. They faintly heard Betsy scream in distress right before the building exploded right before their eyes.
TBC…