Time seemed to move in slow motion for Rogue as the window shattered and tiny shards of glass showered around them. The crystalline bits caught and reflected the light from outside and Rogue never thought to look away. Remy moved to shield her from the bits of glass. Rogue was about to push him away when she noticed the pain.
Pain?
That wasn't right. Rogue looked down and saw where bits of the glass had already embedded themselves in her skin. Red pools of blood were glimmering at her wounds. Remy wrapped his trench coat around her and tucked her under his arms, crouching low, shielding her with his body as Rogue's confused mind tried to figure out what was going on. Physical pain was as unfamiliar to her as it was to a rock. What's going on here, she thought.
Remy reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, he attempted to charge it but nothing happened. He tried again, but to no avail. He glanced down at Rogue and saw the blood seeping from various wounds on her skin. What was going on?
"Chere?"
"Get away from her!" yelled a strange voice.
Rogue looked up and saw the man from the pictures. He stood just outside the shattered window walking towards them. Rogue desperately searched her memory for some recognition of this man who had been stalking her, but she couldn't place him. Why had this man picked her for his sick infatuation? When she couldn't even remember who he was?
Remy reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card. He then attempted to charge it, but nothing happened. He tried again, again nothing. He glanced down at Rogue and the cuts on her skin. Her skin that was supposed to be invincible, what the hell was going on here?
"I came for you, Anna," the man said, looking down on with a look of sickening adoration. "I forgive you for what you did. I came to take you away from here, so we can finally be together," he said.
"Ah don't even know who you are?" Rogue sneered, unable to keep the disdain from her voice.
Remy moved in front of Rogue shielding her from the madman that was slowly walking towards them. He didn't know what had happened to their powers, but he would still make this guy sorry. He reached into his pocket and fingered his staff. As soon as he got close enough.
"You don't have to pretend anymore, Anna. We can be together now. Tell him how we met. Outside the library, you bumped into me and I dropped all my books. It was like magic, I knew we were meant to be together, and you knew it too. If it hadn't been for that David you would have been mine then. But now you will be mine, even if I have to kill him to have you," he said, pulling out a gun and aiming it at Remy's chest.
"No don't," Rogue yelled. "Don't hurt him, Ah'll go with you," Rogue cried, trying to push Remy out of the way.
"Of course you'll come with me, we belong together, but he still needs to die,"
"Ah don't even know your name," Rogue protested feebly. She was starting to realize there was no deterring this guy. He was set on having her. To bad for him that wasn't going to happen.
"That's because I never told you. I knew you loved me even without those minor details. It's Eric," he said matter-of-factly, like he was telling her the weather.
He continued to advance on them his gun never wavering from its target. It wasn't until he was a few feet away from them that Remy reached into his pocket and pulled out his staff. He quickly leaped forward and knocked the gun out of Eric's hand. He howled in rage, before throwing his hand out and sending Remy flying. Remy jumped up and towards him, only to be stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't move a muscle. He looked up at Eric who had, what could only be described as a shit eating grin, on his face.
"You're a mutant?" Remy said.
"Of course I'm a mutant," Eric laughed. "Mutant powers don't work on me, and that's why you can't use your powers and that's why you're going to die," the gun, which was lying yards away, flew into his outstretched hand, where he once again aimed it at Remy.
Remy wracked is brain as he desperately tried to think of a way out of this. He had to protect Anna from this madman. And he couldn't do that if he was dead.
Rogue was slowly creeping towards them. She didn't want to draw Eric's attention, lest he shoot Remy. And if he did, she would kill him. She wasn't about to let this psycho take Remy away from her, after the conversation they just had. They had been through too much grief and drama for everything to end now. As she got closer to them she jumped up and ran for Eric. She threw all her weight into him and knocked him to the ground. Startled by her attack he released his hold on Remy. Rogue kneed Eric in the groin then ran for the gun.
"No!" he screamed. "How could you betray me?"
Rogue grabbed the gun only to have it ripped from her hands and fly back into Eric's hands. This time he aimed the gun at her. Rogue started to run when Remy pushed her at the same moment the gun was fired. She turned and saw the other X-Men running from the mansion, at the same moment she saw Remy's body jerk as he was struck by the bullet. Blood poured from his wound and Rogue heard hysterical screams of his name over and over again. It took her shocked mind a long moment to realize it was her screaming.
Before the others could reach them Rogue grabbed Remy's staff and knocked Eric in the head, with it. She picked up the gun as an intense rage filled her. She wanted to kill him for what he had done.
"Rogue, don't," she heard Jean yell.
Rogue turned and threw the gun as far as she could before running to Remy's side. When she finally reached Remy she sobbed even harder as she saw how much blood he had lost. She whipped off her shirt and pressed it to his wound, desperate to stop the blood flow. He coughed up his own blood and the color was already seeping from his face.
"No, Remy. Don't leave me," Anna cried out.
"I love you, Anna," Remy choked out, gasping on each word. The pain was terrible, but looking into Anna's green eyes, it didn't seem so bad. He would gladly die a thousand deaths to keep her safe.
"I love you too, Remy," was the last thing he heard before everything went black.