CHAPTER 3
Remy heard the commotion downstairs and knew in that instant that he would have to see her. No more hiding in his room. He finished his beer bottle and outed his cigar. He went to his bathroom and looked in the mirror. He felt for his beard and decided it was about time he cut it down. He grabbed the small amount of shaving cream he had and smeared it on his chin. He began to gently glide the razor across his face. After he finished, he washed the shaving cream off and looked into the mirror. He could visibly see with his eyes how much he had let himself go. His face, which once held a mischievous smirk now held a frown. His usual glint of happiness in his eye was now gone. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, giving him a quite frightening demeanor. His body, once the peak of physical perfection, was lacking attractive muscle tone. He was a mess. She deserved to see him the way he had always appeared to her and he made a promise that he would try his very best to please her.

He quickly jumped into the shower and scoured every inch of his being to try and rid himself of the cigarette odor. After, he stepped out, and threw on a plain white t shirt, blue denim jeans and black boots. He combed his wet hair and let it loose to dry. Finally he brushed his teeth, and looked in the mirror. He looked only slightly better- but nothing else could be done. He decided that he would have to go down just as he was.

He got into the elevator and hit the lobby button. As he went down, he could feel his insides churning about and he began to feel nauseated. He was so nervous his hands began to tremble. Finally, the elevator car came to a halt and Remy's heart went up into his throat. The doors opened and he could see no one. His heart slowed it's frantic beating and he cautiously stepped out. He heard faint laughter and chatter towards the main TV viewing room, so he reluctantly followed the sound.

As he entered the room, all speaking stopped and Kitty gave a small gasp. He looked around the room and couldn't see her anywhere. "Ah- uhh, Remy heard ya'll chattin' down ere and taught he come join y'all." Kurt looked at him for a long second and smiled. "Sure Remy. Dat vould be great!" He smiled, little fangs glistening. Remy took a seat next to Scott who gave him a warm smile. Everyone's chatter slowly began up again and soon Remy was left alone with his thoughts.

Rogue had gone to the bathroom to wash off her face and to catch her breath. She froze when she heard his deep, warm voice through the doors. She was terrified of what he would think of her appearance. She looked in the mirror. Her face was so pale she even scared herself. Her emerald green and gold-flecked eyes that usually held their charming sparkle now were flat and dimensionless. She had lost the rosy warmth to her cheeks and her hair she wore back in a tight ponytail instead of its free and wavy manner. She washed her face once more with warm water and stepped out shakily from the bathroom.

As she sat down in her wheelchair she could hear the commotion from down the hallway. She took a deep breath and pushed herself slowly towards the living room. She finally got to the entrance and looked out towards the group that sat amass the couch and the surrounding floor and subtly cleared her throat. Then she saw him and her heart stopped.

Remy was sitting in the corner of the room in the old lazy boy, as beautiful as she remembered. His eyes were as enigmatic as she recalled. He had lost a considerable amount of weight, but he still towered over most and his shoulders were broad and his arms looked as warm and inviting as they always did. Hardly anyone in the room made a sound because of all the tension in the air. She could almost hear her heart beating in its weak cage and her breathing she could hear was sharp and jagged. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Then she noticed that she had stopped breathing because as soon as she did, she began to cough- a hollow and rough sound that seemed to increase the pressure in the room.

Remy went ridgid and she was afraid that she had frightened him. Logan rushed over and began to gently rub her back. For some strange reason, her body wouldn't listen to her mind in an effort to stop it's hacking, so it appeared to most, that she was fighting for air. Kitty, Kurt and Scott stood up but through her gasps and spasms, she managed to sputter out, "No, no- Ah'm fine." Hank rushed over with a large tank of what looked like oxygen and a clear plastic mask and gently strapped it around her face. He pushed a button and a whooshing sound filled the room and her lungs expanded with fresh air.

After she could feel her lungs returning to their natural pace, the embarrassment hit her. She could feel the blood rushing to her face and tried to will it back, but she couldn't. She pulled the mask off, despite Logan's protests and looked at each X Man square in the face. She finally locked eyes with Remy and her whole body went numb. He looked terrified- the same look he always got when his past was brought up- the scared look of a child: defenseless and desolate. She felt horrible. She hadn't seen him in 3 years and the first thing she did was scare him half to death.

"Ah'm alright, really." She croaked. She and Remy both jumped at the sound of her voice, her reaction a bit animated. She looked down at her feet, ashamed of herself. Then, the most joyous sound filled the room- Remy's laughter. It was a large, expansive sound with just a hint of mischievousness in it. Her head snapped back up to look at him and so did everyone else to see Remy howling in laughter holding his stomach. A large smile spread across Rogue's face and she too began to giggle. "Ah see much ain't changed. Remy still takes yo breath away." He said chortling. Rogue snorted. The rest of the X-men looked at the pair in total confusion.

When they were finished, Remy's face relaxed into a light smile. He reached over and pulled the white strands away from Rogue's face. "Welcome home Chere." She smiled warmly and Remy got up. "Wanna go for a stroll?" "Ah'd love tah!" Hank interjected. "Please, make sure you bring your oxygen tank, Rogue. And if anything goes wrong, alert the Professor, please." Remy nodded. "Ah'll take care of the baby, don y'all worry." Rogue giggled.

As soon as they were out of the building, Rogue felt better once again. Her head cleared and her airways were open. She took deep breaths, this time, inhaling the fresh air. She could smell the freshly cut grass, and as they passed them, Storm's beautiful garden. A flower appeared next to her ear. "For you." Remy offered. "Yah know, if Storm finds out yah plucked a flower from her collection, you'll have nothin but pants full o' lightning." Remy laughed darkly. "What Stormy don know won kill 'er." He parked her by a bench which he proceeded to sit on and face her.

Remy though he was going to throw up he was so nervous. He twiddled his fingers for a bit and they just sat there, staring at one another. It was strange. He looked into her large emerald orbs and he just about melted. "Yah okay, Swamp Rat?" He snapped back to reality and chuckled softly. "Peachy, River Rat." A large smile spread across her beautiful face, and every one of her features began to glow. "Ah missed yah callin meh that." "Me too, Rogue. Me too."

Logan watched the two from the large bay window in the living room. It hurt to watch Rogue in such a vulnerable place. He wished that he could take her place sometimes and that she could be happy. Truly happy. She suffered way too much for a girl her age. And he- a person who was pretty much always in pain- felt sorry for her.

But now, watching her speak to Remy for the first time, gave him hope. Hope that Rogue could be herself again. At first he had to admit. Watching Remy push her away in her wheelchair was really hard. So hard he had to hold himself back from running after her. But he guessed that's what happens when you love someone as much as he loved Rogue. Not in the romantic way, but the kind of love a father would show his daughter. He could still remember the first time they met in that bar in Canada where Logan used to cage fight. She was small, and fragile looking, but her soul shone through her eyes. Broken and hopeless. Such a big emotion for such a small person. But he could tell she was hurting because he'd seen the same look he had every morning that he peered into the mirror.

And he could remember her walking around the bar, stepping over the broken glass and spilled liquids, wisely weaving her way through the bar fight crowds and making her way to the tabletop. She was smart, and fast. He could remember that small little 13 year old. But now, watching her- 6 years later, he could see how much she had changed and he had to say, he was proud of who she had become. He hoped letting her breathe for a bit on her own would be good for her.

He felt a small, yet strong hand rest on his left shoulder. He turned to face sky blue eyes contrasting against mocha skin. "Stormy." Logan sighed. She gave him a beautiful and radiant smile. "How are you?" Her voice was deep, full and strong. "I'm doing..." He couldn't finish his sentence because he was watching Rogue. Her features began to illuminate with laughter as she listened to Remy speak. She's gonna be okay. He thought.