A/N: I was of about a million minds as to how to handle this part, and this is what came of it. More notes at the end.
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He could hear the quiet sounds of her crying and it tore at his fragile heart. Despite what she had assumed, Remy had been awake the entire time. First he had focused on the sound of the shower, but it was far too faint even through the thin walls. Then he had simply laid there, staring at the framed photograph on the nightstand, but nothing could block out the memories. Not even the good memories the picture provided were enough to fight off the gruesome ones of the day. He had tried to close his eyes and block them out, but it only made things worse. The images became clearer in the dark.
After what felt like hours, the faint rush of water was cut short and the door to the bathroom opened. No sooner had a thin sliver of light crept across the room when it vanished leaving the windows as the sole source of light once more. Slowly, Remy's eyes travelled over to the bureau. There she stood, silhouetted by the light that danced across her smooth skin. And skin was something there was definitely a lot of seeing as she was only wearing a towel. She was a vision. Dieu, how he'd missed her. Even before this whole mess, he had missed her. Things hadn't been the same since Sage had boosted their powers again. Tensions had arisen between them, only multiplied ten fold now that they knew what they were missing. For a while, they had been serious about trying to fix things, had even gone to therapy with Emma which was a total waste of time, but Mystique had fucked that up right good with her little game. She had placed seeds of doubt in both their minds and everything only got worse. Near the end it hadn't been as much a relationship as a charade. A habit.
So much he would change.
He tried to keep his breathing steady, but the very thought of her changing behind him took all his willpower to keep him from turning around. Finally, he felt her weight settle on the other side of the bed and, after a long moment, it shifted as she lay down. It was only seconds later that he had heard her start to cry. He tried to pretend he didn't hear her, like he had in the bathroom earlier, but this time there was no wall between them.
At least not in the most literal sense of the word. They had built up emotional walls long ago. Sometimes they cracked, sometimes they crumbled, but they always seemed to repair themselves. All he had to do was hide behind these walls, pretend he was still asleep, but before he knew what he was doing he was turning over. The instant he moved he heard her gasp and felt her shaking halt completely as her body stiffened. Facing her back now, he let his eyes travel from her wet hair splayed across the pillow to her shoulders, visibly rigid through her shirt. She tried to be so strong. For him. She was giving up so much. For him. Everything she was doing right now was for him, and he was just letting her do it. He needed her to be the strong one, to pick up all the pieces, but he hadn't been prepared to deal with her falling apart as well. She couldn't do this alone. She needed him just as much as he needed her. She needed to know he was grateful, that he did need her but also that he was willing to fight if she was willing to stay by his side.
Not realizing that he had had even the slightest thought to the future, to getting through this, Remy remained focused on the present. Hesitating for a long moment, he took a deep breath and reached out to her in every sense. Laying his hand gently on her arm, his heart panged at how she winced at his touch but he didn't back out. After what felt like forever he felt her slender fingers, clothed in a silky fabric, softly slide over his. Slowly she rolled over onto her back, her head tilting to the side and her tear filled eyes searching for his.
This time, he didn't shy away.
When their eyes met, Remy felt as if his worthless, battered heart had started beating again. There were so many emotions swirling within the depths of her emerald eyes, but the overwhelming pain and sadness outweighed them all. He could see hints of what he had feared: anger, hate, fear, disgust, but mixed with everything else he knew, deep down, that these weren't directed at him as much as at his actions. Death's actions. He could never fault her for blaming him when he so strongly blamed himself as well.
The most startling realization, though, was that among all these negative emotions, he could catch a glimpse of something positive. She was surprised that he had reached for her, but more than that, he could see it clear as day: hope. Hope that her choice would not be in vain. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see her raise her hand. Her fingertips grazed his forehead in a feather light touch as she brushed his unruly bangs from his face. Closing his eyes and finally breaking the powerful gaze, he slipped an arm around her waist and laid his head upon her chest. With the sound of her heartbeat playing in his ears and the feel of her hand repetitively stroking through his hair, Remy finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep, held safely in her warm embrace.
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A/N: Since I took so long for the last update, and am currently almost finished writin Part 11, I figured I'd post this bit while I had teh time today. So I really struggled where to go with this one. Was it too soon for a breakthrough of any sort? Who should make the first move? Am I jumpin' the gun? Eventually, this is what came of it. Hope y'all enjoyed! One part left of the first night, then we get to move on.
Loneraven: I'm very sorry to hear about your troubles. hugs Glad ya enjoyed the chapter, though.
ishandahalf: Love your description of the symbolism. I really need to dust off my sketch pad and illustrate some of the bits of this story. That image really does stick in my mind.
Rogue14: This a little better for length? grins Keep an eye out for Part 10. I think you'll like that one.
Rogue181: I have been readin' this arc, but I'm in the same boat as you. As soon as Gambit is gone from the comics, so am I. I'll stick with writin' my own endin's. It's so hard to watch my favourite character and couple completely decimated. Marvel. Grrr.
Anamarie: This bit cheer ya up a little? ;) Rogue is in a difficult position because she can offer comfort, but can't make him accept it. She doesn't wanna push too hard, too fast. Poor darlin'.
BJ2: Not exactly an emotional storm, but I hope ya made it through. Hee, I'm so totally amused that you were actually talkin' to your screen in the last part. Thanks bunches!
WhytMajic: Aww, come on, hon! Ya know ya love me. Ya gotta to put up with me for as long as ya have. ;) And yes, sleeping in socks is evil. So uncomfortable. But wait... less angsty?
Tammy: Actually, not quite the end. I hope I didn't ruin it for ya with these last two chapters of the day;I just couldn't leave things the way they were. I can't remember the mood I was in when I wrote this, but that usually seems to be the deciding factor. So glad you're enjoyin', and curiosity is a good thing in my book.
