Group Fic
Chapter 7 by Bastet
Drip... Drip... Drip... Storm sat alone locked in the bathroom stall. The drip of the faucet only punctuated the seconds of life ticking by as she waited for the 5 minute mark. She stared at the 3 inch stick on a paper towel. She felt bad having led Remy on, considering what they had been through together, but he nor she had actually seen the test. However, nothing was present to prove the contrary. She averted her eyes and studied the graffiti on the wall next to her. 'Karen loves Bill.' 'Snake Rulez.' All pointless diversions. At least she hadn't lied when she told him she wasn't feeling well.
She'd woken up with severe cramps, nothing worse than what she'd had every month, but it concerned her. Her concern came from two sources: a) she had been told at her last yearly that she had an ovarian cyst which had given her irregular cycles anyway and b) if she was pregnant, cramps were not a good sign at all.
She thought back to earlier that morning when she and Remy had stopped by the grocery store. She said she wanted a decongestant for a headache. He asked her if it was safe for her condition. Innocently, she requested he consult the pharmacist while she browsed the aisle. She didn't think he noticed the pregnancy tests behind them. As soon as he was at the counter, it was in her hands and under her skirt and held in place by her thigh highs. When he returned with an answer, she said she changed her mind and wanted to see if a tea would help instead. He muttered something under his breath about pregnant women and she remained smug. Her watch began to beep, alerting her the moment of truth had arrived. She stared at the test, not knowing what to make at the results. Relief and disappointment coursed through her. After all the kind words Remy had shared with her, offering to be the father of this child... a child they both loved... her child that never was... quietly, she wept.
Meanwhile...
"You can't be serious..." Remy massaged his eyes with his fingers as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line. A familiar voice. A surprisingly calm, even voice for what was behind it. On the other end of the line, Logan explained that Anna was willing to forgive Gambit and Ororo if they would apologize to her in person.
Rage was building in him. "If she wants to hear a damn apology, it should pass from her lips." he hissed. "She's the one that had a dish on the side. I was nothing... but... faithful to her." damn his quivering voice- how could Logan be so calm? And why the hell was he calling on Anna's behalf? He was so caught up in his anger that he hadn't notice Ororo had emerged from the rest room, a bit disheveled.
Fighting to keep his voice low, he continued to berate Logan. "You wanna talk about forgiveness, you need to apologize to 'Ro you son of a bitch. She's only carrying your child!" He was met with silence which washed a slight comfort over Remy that he had hit the bastard below the belt. Through the silence, he thought he heard a hushed conversation. "Am I on speaker phone? I hope she heard all that and ya get what you deserve!" He flipped the cell phone shut and shoved it in his pocket as he muttered a few French words under his breath that ended in 'asshole'.
Ororo approached the table, the color drained from her face. Solemnly, she grabbed the edge of the table and collapsed into the booth. "Who was on the phone, Remy?"
"Logan. Callin' to say we needed to apologize to Anna. Can you believe the nerve! And to top it off, he had me on speaker phone. I hope she heard every word that came out of my mouth."
"I did." She said dryly.
"Oh." His eyes fell. "I'm sorry."
"Not as sorry as I am."
At that moment, the waitress approached with crackers and orange juice, as she had promised. "Congratulations hun, your husband told me all about your baby. And by the looks of it, it's gonna be beautiful." She smiled warmly and added before walking off, "You two need anything else, just give a holler."
Ororo stared at the juice and crackers. Come to think of it, she was feeling nauseous, but for different reasons.
"Stormy. You been cryin'?"
"A little?"
"Why you feelin' sorry? You regrettin' everyt'ing?"
"I am regretting letting things get to the point they are at now. Remy, I am not pregnant."
His jaw dropped then closed, then dropped again as he tried to form words. All he managed was a weak. "What?"
"Please let me explain."
"I don't t'ink I have much o' a choice, do I?" He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.
"When I destroyed that test, so you couldn't see it, I didn't know the results either. I was so flustered and overwhelmed with the kiss, and the revelations of the previous minutes..."
"So you let me believe y' was pregnant...!"
"I did because I beleived I was pregnant! Remy, I haven't had a period in 7 weeks. What am I supposed to think! Don't you think that if I did this to entrap you, I wouldn't have admitted to it being Logan's! It was humiliating to admit that to you. You don't think I wasn't aware of your feelings? You're the last person I want to disappoint."
"In a way, I'm glad y' not pregnant, Ororo, but I want t' go on de record dat I really meant everyt'ing I had said t' y'. Even if dat jerk didn't want y' or yo' child, I love you and t'ings dat come out of you. Well, not all t'ings..."
"I get it, Remy." She smiled slightly and he grinned, showing he was not upset with her.
She sipped her juice. "You know what?"
"What?"
"They don't have to know quite yet. They have put us through hell. Why shouldn't they have their own misery thrust upon them? Personally, I think it should be them that left the mansion. I've been there longer than that wench anyway. Yes."
"Yes what?" It was fascinating to watch Ororo carry on an entire conversation with herself sometimes.
"With this new ripple in the pond, I think Anna and Logan will be less likely to stir more trouble up if we return. After the things I've learned of the Queen of the South since the incident with my gem... There are some things that can't be disproved- especially with someone that possesses the Phoenix force- an entity that can't be fooled- to read the evidence."
"Are you saying to go back?" He raised one eyebrow.
"Yes. Call Jean. She will help us cleanse our names and standing among our friends and teammates."
"As you wish, mon cherie." He pulled out his cell phone and pulled Jean's name from the speed dial.
"Remy, let her know the whole truth. About no baby. As embarrassing as it is, she is my best friend and our only ally. We cannot keep her in the dark."
"Shhh! Hello? Jean? It's Remy..."
