Over the next few days, as the other X-Men returned to the mansion, they were all shocked to hear of Miasma's occupation of the Morlock tunnels, with Storm vowing to visit her allies at the earliest opportunity to check on their welfare. Rogue and Logan filled them all in on Gambit's role in defeating the demon, and Ghost Rider returning her to Hell, where she would no doubt be punished for her escape and would no longer pose a threat to them, or anyone else for that matter.

"A demon," Xavier had mused, aloud, "it is no more far-fetched, I suppose, than mutants, aliens, Apocalypse, and the other monsters we have fought! Still, the theological implications are profound..."

"Perhaps we ought to open a chapel in the grounds and start praying for our immortal souls," Cyclops had commented, dryly, "I don't buy it. She was just another mutant – a damn strange one, but just a mutant."

"Yeah," Rogue had agreed, yet sounding unconvinced, "just another mutant..."

She had pretended not to notice just how many of the others she had seen going into the library, hesitantly reading passages from the Bible, as if trying to glean some understanding of what had happened to them all. She occupied herself by throwing herself into the role of nursemaid, determined to see Gambit returned to full health. It was several days before he was recovered enough to leave his room, and even then only for short times, tiring quickly.

It therefore felt eerily familiar when, one day, she found herself in the rec room. This time, however, it was Beast and Wolverine who were occupied with the pool table; she sat on one end of the couch, Gambit's head pillowed against her thigh as he lay, half-curled, on the rest of the plush sofa. They were dressed in their civilian clothes, officially off-duty, and he was dozing lightly as she absently toyed with his hair, half-watching a romantic comedy that was doing little to hold her interest.

"Ain't there anythin' more interestin' ta watch?" Logan groused, from the corner; he was losing the game, and feeling cranky about it.

"Lemme see..." Rogue picked up the remote, careful not to jostle Gambit, who mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled in closer to her, "uh... nope, nope, nope, nuh-uh... nope, hell no, nope... uh... there's a horror movie about to start... Army of Darkness?"

"Sounds perfect," Logan grinned, abandoning his cue and hopping into an armchair, "Hank, how about ya rustle us up some popcorn?"

"Your wish is my command," Beast acquiesced, "I shall return forthwith..."

"And bring beer!"

"Make that two!" Rogue added.

"Trois!" Gambit yawned, holding up three fingers, "Huh, sorry, chère... didn't mean to fall asleep on you..."

"You've been doing that a lot, lately, Gumbo," Wolverine smirked, "ya gotta show a lady some excitement sometimes, ya know."

Rogue snorted; "Ah've had more than enough excitement recently – happy to be bored for a while. Settle back down, Remy; ya still need ta rest. Plenty o' time for more excitement when yer feelin' better."

"Promises, promises, chère," he smiled at her, giving her a cheeky wink that was only slightly spoiled by the jaw-cracking yawn he just partially managed to hide behind his hand.

She tousled his hair affectionately, as the opening title of the movie began to scroll across the large screen. By the time Beast returned with their drinks and snacks, Gambit was already asleep again.

Logan grinned, gesturing with his bottle; "If he ain't awake in ten minutes, I'm stealin' his beer."

Beast and Rogue both chuckled as Gambit grumbled something in his sleep, but did not rouse, his face creasing in a frown. Rogue gently rested her gloved hand on his shoulder, stroking his arm soothingly; the others were unaware, but she knew the Cajun had been plagued by nightmares since his last encounter with Miasma. He still had not told her all of the details of what had happened inside his mind, and Logan had been surprisingly close-lipped about it, but Rogue knew it had unsettled Gambit deeply.

Rogue had been there several times when Gambit had snapped awake from some night terror, gasping like a drowning man, gripping his chest and throat as if he could not breathe... under her gentle touch, however, he soon stilled, and the other two remained unaware of his momentary distress, already focussed on the movie. Rogue leaned back on the sofa, taking a sip of her own beer, but not releasing her hold on Gambit, drawing as much comfort from his presence as he seemed to from hers. She finally relaxed; content in the knowledge that their own personal demon had been banished back to the Hell she had come from, and would plague them no more.

As the movie played, Rogue found herself silently praying to a God she had previously been uncertain that she believed in, to make sure that they never encountered her kind again.


The End


Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this. In the episode where Xavier scans Gambit's mind, we see that he once encountered Ghost Rider; none of the others remark on this, so this is my take on how that meeting occurred, though I have played somewhat fast and loose with the timeline! If you have read this, please consider leaving a quick review, it would be nice to know if people are reading these stories... thank you!