Chapter 14
Remy had planned on continuing down the main corridor, but something nagged at the back of his brain. He decided to try the door at the end of the small hallway. As he cracked it open he was pelted by a frigid blast. Ready to slam it close again he heard a cry from outside. It was Beast.
Plowing through the door, he yelled back over his shoulder to Jean, "They found him!" He ran across the lawn, coming up behind Beast and Wolverine on the edge of the frozen lake. "What're you waitin' for?"
"Look at the size hole he made, Cajun. If any of us go onto the ice, we all go down. Where's Storm or Rogue when you need 'em?" Logan growled.
They turned in unison at the sound of more footsteps behind them. "You were saying, mon ami?"
Jean and Rogue were running down the hill towards them. Before they could even assess the situation, Remy called out, "Chere, take flight and get Cyclops outa t'ere."
Without hesitation Rogue was airborne. She reached him and floated inches above the human icicle. "Oh lawdie, Scott. What did you do?" She broke through the thin layer of ice that reformed in the hole encasing his arm and part of his chest that lay submerged. When she tried to lift him up she met with resistance. It was then she realized that melted ice had refrozen under the rest of his body. He was stuck fast.
"Good God, how am Ah gonna get you out of here, Cyc?"
An idea flashed in her mind and she darted back to shore, "He's frozen solid onto the lake. Ah gotta idea. Remy, this involves you."
"Chere, you know Remy always be dere for you."
"Remember when we, uh…accidentally touched and Ah absorbed some of your powers? Well, Ah think that would work here. Ah don't need much, just 'nough to melt t'ice."
"Sure, go ahead. Remy trust you not to kill 'im."
Logan and Hank spoke in unison, "I don't think that such a hot idea, Rogue. Just break him loose."
"If'n Ah just break the ice around him that's still too much weight and it'll just end up peeling his skin right off."
The Cajun looked to the ground with a moment's hesitation flashing across his facial features. He feared doing this, but he knew time was short and a man's life was at stake. He took a deep breath then extended his hand to her, "Go ahead, Rogue. Time's a-wastin'".
She wished she could think of a better way and hesitated as well before taking off her glove. She knew the consequences of not letting go soon enough. And to do this to the man she loved, she just prayed it worked. Grabbing his hand, she could feel his energy flowing through her. The electricity tingled up her arm and throughout her body. When he groaned, she dropped his hand, "You ok, Remy?"
"Gambit just fine. Now go get Cyclops outa the icetray." He sank to the ground as she took off.
Jean knew in the recesses of her mind that Gambit was hurting, but she couldn't move her eyes off of Scott. She was one hundred percent focused on him. She couldn't tear herself away even for a moment to check on the Remy.
Beast knelt next to the Cajun, arm around his shoulder for support, "That was very brave of you my friend. How are you doing?"
"Remy been better. Did it work?"
"I don't know yet." As he answered, Hank looked over at the pair on the ice.
Rogue placed a hand on the ice on either side of Scott's body. And waited. She grew impatient, "Nothin's happenin'!" she called out.
"Concentrate," Gambit yelled.
"Damn Cajun, I couldn't get it t'stop the last time", then she saw both her hands glow with a charge. The ice around Cyclops melted away under the heat. She threw her gloves on hoping that there was nothing left to fry them. When nothing happened, she grabbed Scott under the arms and lifted him easily from his frozen prison.
She flew right over the heads of those waiting on the beach, "Ah'm going straight to the infirmary. Ah'll meet y'all there." She was glad that Jean used her telepathy to open the outside door.
Back in the sick room, Rogue gently placed Scott on the table. She reached across his body, surprised at its warmth, to grab the sheet that still hung tangled around the monitor. Her eyes drifted down to a place where properly raised southern ladies do not look. This was not the gaze of a pervert but of want and loneliness. A pang of emptiness struck her as she realized this was something she could never have. She loved Scott as a friend and respected him as a leader, but that was the extent of her feelings for him. However, here before her laid a well built handsome man, naked. She envisioned Remy's face in his place knowing his physique was not far off from the one she was looking at. She was envious of Jean, but not jealous. These two had an awesome love for each other. Something she could never have. Upon hearing the sound of running feet she took one more longing glance and quickly pulled the sheet onto the unconscious man.
Hoping that no one would noticed her bright red face, Rogue stepped back out of the way as Jean and Hank burst through the doorway. They hurried to reconnect the IVs and heart monitor in order to figure out the damage the patient had done to himself. She sighed in relief when no one noticed her deep blush.
Logan and Remy were the last to come in, Wolverine assisting the weakened man. Rogue flung herself at Gambit pulling him into a bearhug, "Ah'm sorry Sugar. Ah didn't mean t'hurt ya. Are ya ok?"
"Remy be ok, Chere. Ah do dat anytime t'get a greeting like dis," returning the hug and taking in the fragrance of her hair. He had caught an odd, fleeting glimpse from her, but dismissed it to his own wants and desires. Confusion flashed through his emotions at the intensity and length of the hug but was not going to question what he was enjoying so much.
They finally released their hold on each other as Beast spoke, "I have some good news and some bad news."
"Well, don't keep us all in suspense," Rogue said.
"He does not have hypothermia from his little escapade."
"Is dat the good news or bad, Beast?" Remy pushed.
"Both I'm afraid. His body temperature should be in the 80's with the exposure that he had. But it's not, meaning that the infection is still raging out of control."
Jean leaned into Logan and started sobbing. Rogue saw the pained look on his face and sympathized with him. They both suffered a similar fate, that neither of them could have the one they loved. For Logan, it was because his love belonged to another, but for her all she'd have to do was give Remy the go ahead and he'd be hers, at the probable loss of his own life.
Rogue looked into Remy's loving eyes, then to Logan's pained look, ending up at Jean. She threw her gloves to the floor and yelled, "To hell with this!" and grabbed Scott.
"NO ROGUE!" reverberated through out the infirmary from all those present.
No one could move fast enough as she started screaming, "Ah'm burnin' up. Ahhhh. So hot, so hot! AAAAAAEEEEEEEE!" She then crumbled to the floor.
"Rogue. What the hell did you do that for?" cried Logan.
"Wake up, Chere," cried Remy as he fell to his knees beside her. He caressed her fingers with his gloved hand. "Chere, why? Why did'ya do that?"
Logan didn't hesitate and picked up the woman, placing her on the bed next to Scott's. "Rogue, why t'hell did'ya do that, girl? Speak to me. C'mon, Marie."
Beast hooked her up to another monitor and it showed that her temperature was now spiking out of control, "Jean, quick, grab an IV bag of the antibiotic. We've got to pump it into her as fast as possible."
"Oh hell, Darlin'!" Logan grabbed her bare hands with his and let out a guttural yell before succumbing to the drain.
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Storm looked over the grove of guns standing quiet in front of her. "I think we should get back to base with this news immediately Professor."
"I agree. Go get the Black Bird and pick us up."
"But won't she get shot at again?" Jubilee asked, worried.
Charles looked at her, "No. Because you are going to disable them."
Her eyes widened, "Really! You mean it? I can blow them to smithereens?"
Charles smiled and nodded. "Just wait for Storm to clear the area first. I want you to use your common sense and judgment."
She understood what her teacher meant. She was ready to just let loose with a barrage of fireworks to obliterate the guns. But this was a true test of her controlling her powers and controlling how to use them.
"Storm is safely away. Go ahead Jubilee."
She studied the guns and decided the best one to go after first was the one furthest away. That way if a problem occurred, they were at a safe distance. She looked it over and opted to just remove the gun from the stand. Concentrating she blasted the neck and the gun toppled off.
"Nicely done, Jubilee. That's what I would have done."
Since there were no explosions, or flying shrapnel, she quickly finished off the other weapons. "Professor, won't it be easy for whoever owns these to just put the guns back on their stands?"
"Yes, you are correct. But I don't think we will have to worry about that. However I would like for you to damage the actual guns so that no one can haul away a working weapon. Other than a helicopter, I can't see anyone walking off with these heavy things."
"Have anything particular in mind?"
"How about here? It would damage the barrel as well as the magazine."
Jubilee made quick work of the weapons. She was done and waited for Storm to arrive with the aircraft.
Jubilee and Xavier headed for the plane as Storm appeared in the opening door. "Hurry Professor, there's problems back at base."