Chapter Thirty-Seven:


For the hundredth time that night, Rogue glanced at the clock on her bedroom wall.

Biting her lip, she sighed and turned her attention back to the computer screen in front of her. She had decided to do some searching of her own for any of the surviving X-men online, since the Guild's searches had yet to turn up anything solid. She had been looking for over two hours already, and she hadn't found anything even remotely helpful.

Still, she kept looking, partly because she had to keep hoping that something might turn up, but mostly because she needed to do something to keep her mind off of Remy and Julien, and what the two of them were up to that evening.

Reopening the White Pages website, she paused, trying to think of any other possible aliases to try searching for. She had racked her brain for any and all names that her mother had ever gone by, relying on her long-buried memories to help her come up with several. None of them had turned up any matches, though, in the United States or Canada.

She'd even tried to find a way to contact Alex Summers in Hawaii, but there was no listing of his adopted parents, and the number that she had been able to remember was disconnected. She didn't know if that meant that Alex had gone into hiding, if he'd been captured, or if he'd just decided to disconnect his number because of all of the anit-mutant hype.

In a way, Rogue was glad that she hadn't been able to find the younger Summers boy, because she might very well have had to tell him that his brother was dead, if he didn't already know.

Sighing, she shook her head, forcing her thoughts away from such sad things. She needed to concentrate if she was going to find anything useful, and manage to avoid looking at the clock yet again.

She couldn't help worrying, though, because she knew exactly what Remy and Theo and Julien had slipped out into the night intending to do, and since she had been left behind, she had no idea how things were going.

Remy had insisted she stay home, because they didn't want her anywhere near Marius Beaudroux. When word had gotten around to the assassins about the mystery girl living with the LeBeau's, Jean-Luc had smoothed things over by saying that she was just a girl Remy had rescued from the Sentinels on his way back into town. She was a mutant, like Remy, and the two had become friends, but nothing more.

Obviously, if they wanted Marius to keep on believing that, they needed to keep Rogue out of his sight, at least for now. Rogue understood that, but it still annoyed her that she hadn't been allowed to go, mainly because she didn't like not being able to watch over Remy.

She had a feeling he was going to need a lot of watching over tonight.

The hair on the back of her neck bristled, and she turned around in her chair just as the door to her room flew open, and a breathless Mercy appeared before Rogue in her red pajamas. "Venez avec moi!" she cried urgently, gesturing for Rogue to get up. "Hurry!"

Rogue frowned, logging off the computer and rising to her feet. "What is it?" she asked worriedly, her heart lurching in dread. "What's happened?"

"Henri jus' called," Mercy replied quickly, disappearing back into the hallway. "De boys are on de way back."

Rogue hurried after her, her bare feet padding on the wooden floors. "What happened, Mercy? Did they go through with the plan?"

"Oui," Mercy said with a curt nod. "Dat dey did."

There was something unsettling about the tone of her voice, and Rogue's stomach tightened anxiously. "What aren't ya tellin' me, Mercy?" she demanded.

Mercy spared her a glance over her shoulder as they rounded the corner, and Rogue saw a glimmer of fear in her eyes. "Don' know how bad it is," she replied grimly. "Henri jus' said t' get de bandages an' call fo' Tante Mattie. Remy's been hurt."

Rogue's face paled. "Hurt?" she rasped as she came to a dazed halt at the top of the stairs. "What do ya mean hurt?"

Before Mercy could answer, the front door creaked open, and three figures trudged into the hall, two of them supporting the weight of the third. Rogue's heart skipped a beat when she realized it was Remy, and she rushed down the stairs to his side. "Remy..."

He lifted his head, wincing in pain, but still managed to flash her a lopsided smile. "Evenin', p'tite," he said hoarsely. "Y' wait up all dis time jus' fo' ol' Remy?"

Rogue didn't rise to the bait, instead she busied herself with checking him over for injuries. He was limping, and he had several scattered scrapes and bruises, but she was more concerned with the way he was holding his side, as if he didn't want her to see something.

She reached a hand towards him, and he drew back. "Let me see," she demanded.

"Nothin' t' worry 'bout," Remy responded. "Remy be fine."

Rogue favored him with a silent glare, and he begrudgingly lifted his hand away from his side. A soft gasp escaped her lips as Rogue took in the crimson stain on the navy shirt he was wearing. With a trembling hand she lifted the cloth aside and let out a hiss of air as she inspected the wound.

"Jus' a scratch," Remy assured her dissmissively.

"Yeah, an' de sword dat gave it t' you was jus' a toothpick," Emil said sarcastically. "You gon' need some work done on dat, mon ami."

"Did y' call fo' Tante Mattie?" Henri asked Mercy.

"Oui," Mercy replied. "She's in de kitchen, gettin' t'ings ready. She wants us t' bring him in."

The three of them continued to talk amongst themselves, but Rogue ignored them, focusing all of her attention on Remy. "Ya call this fine, swamp rat?" she asked softly, her fingers lightly touching his wound.

"Gimme a day or two, chere, an' dis ol' Cajun will be good as new," Remy replied with an encouraging smile.

"How did this happen?" Rogue asked. "Ya tol' me ya would be fine, that ya had it all worked out so no one would get hurt."

"Dat was de plan, oui," Remy retorted. "But de plan... she got a bit out o' hand."

Rogue raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but Remy shifted uneaily, looking away. She sighed in frustration, but didn't press it. She would get the truth out of him later, even if she had to absorb it out of him.

Her eyes widened suddenly as an idea came to her, and she whirled to grab Emil by the arm. "Tessa, where is she?"

Emil frowned. "On duty on de estate, why?"

"Ah have an idea t' help Remy," Rogue explained quickly. "But Ah need Tessa's help."

"Then you shall have it, Rogue."

Rogue turned to see Tessa emerging from the shadows, and, had she not been preoccupied with concern for Remy, she might have been startled at the woman's sudden appearance. "Ah need ya t' boost mah powers," she said without preamble. "Ah absorbed a mutant with healin' powers back at Magneto's base. If ya help me, Ah can heal Remy's wound."

Emil, Henri and Mercy started in surprise, but Remy just frowned. "When de hell did y' absorb Harmony?" he asked.

"Not long after we arrived there," Rogue replied. "She thought it might help ease the pain o' losin' the others if Ah had the power t' heal mah own hurtin' fo' a bit" She smiled faintly in rememberance. "She was right."

Tessa placed one of her elegant hands on Rogue's shoulder. "I will need for you to lower your shields again, then I can amplify your powers for a short time."

Rogue nodded, following her instructions. "Thank ya."

"There is no need to thank me," Tessa replied. "I am able to help, therefore I am pleased to do so. This may tingle a bit," she warned.

A ripple of energy washed over Rogue, and she shivered invoulantraily as she felt the vast cavern of powers stored in her mind open before her. For a moment she was overwhelmed by the dozens of voices and faces swimming around her, but Tessa's voice filled her mind, drawing her back to the task at hand.

Focus on the power that you wish to use, Tessa instructed. Grasp it firmly and then pull back. The power will follow you back to the conscious realm.

Rogue did so, and when she opened her eyes she could literally feel Harmony's power swelling within her. Had she not used this power once before, she might have been taken aback by the wave of awareness that washed over her. She could sense Henri's exhaustion, Emil's still rampant adrenaline, Mercy's anxiety and Tessa's utter calm.

But it was Remy's anguish that grabbed her attention, and she mentally cursed the Cajun for being so damn stubborn. He was hurting a lot worse than he was letting on. She was glad he hadn't been mortally wounded in the skirmish that evening, for she had the desire to kill him herself at the moment.

Reaching out with Harmony's powers, Rogue focused on his wound. Closing her eyes, she simply willed the wound to heal itself, and the startled gasps around her told her that it was working.

"Merde," Remy murmured, and Rogue opened her eyes again to see him examining his side on awe. "Not even a scar." He raised his head and grinned at her. "T'anks, p'tite."

"Ya won't be thankin' me once Ah get done with ya, swamp rat," Rogue snapped, now that she was certain he would be fine her earlier anger was returning. "What the hell happened? Ah thought it was s'posed t' be a staged duel, not a swordfight!"

Remy shrugged ruefully. "Didn' count on Gris-Gris tryin' t' step in t' stop de fight."

"De intention was fo' Remy t' give Julien a light scratch wit' his sword," Henri said, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "But Gris-Gris went an' slammed himself in t' dem, makin' Julien's blade got thrust in t' Remy's side, an' Remy's sword went deeper dan it was s'posed t'-"

Rogue's eyes widened in horror. "Is Julien...?"

"Non," Emil answered, shaking his head. "He be fine in a bit. De Assassin's got demselves a healer. Dat was why Julien agreed t' de fight in de first place."

Rogue nodded, relieved. If Julien had been killed during a plan meant to allow her to marry Remy, she didn't what she would have done. "Did it work, though?" she asked.

"Well, Marius was pissé, dat's fo' sure," Henri muttered.

"Theo was great, Rogue," Emil said with a grin. "Y' should have seen him! He threw Gris-Gris off an' took Julien's sword so dat it would look like he'd been de one t' stab Remy, in defense o' Julien. Marius was still gushin' over him when we snuck off."

"Ya sure Marius ain't gonna send any o' his assassins after Remy?" Rogue asked, looking to Henri, knowing he wouldn't try to sugarcoat his answer.

"Not even Marius would be dat bold," Mercy spoke up, giving Rogue a confident smile. "If he tried, it'd start a Guild war fo' sure, an' dat's somet'ing none o' us want."

Henri nodded his agreement.

"B'sides," Remy smirked. "Mon pere is down dere now, tryin' t' smooth t'ings over. Marius is in debt t' Theo, an' since Theo be my kin, Marius couldn' come after me if he wanted t'."

Guild laws, Rogue thought with a sigh. Ah wonder if Ah'll ever fully understand 'em. Of course, it helped that she had Remy's memories in her head, and that Jean-Luc and Tessa had both been teaching her the ways of the Thieves Guild. Rogue had no doubt that eventually she would figure it all out, she just...

She blinked, her vision swimming suddenly as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Rogue!"

Strong arms caught her just before she hit the floor, and her eyes fluttered open to see Remy's concerned face hovering over her as he cradled her protectively. "Y' okay, chere?" he asked softly.

"Ah'm fine," Rogue assured him hoarsely. "Ah jus' got dizzy fo' a minute, is all. Mah knees went weak an' Ah jus' couldn't stay on mah feet."

"A side affect from amplifying your powers," Tessa spoke up, moving to Remy's side and gazing down at her appraisingly, her eyes flickering as she used her computerized powers to scan for injury. "My assessment suggests that you will be weakened for several hours. With rest, you will be fine in the morning."

"Thanks, Tessa," Rogue rasped, too tired to protest as Remy lifted her up into his arms. She closed her eyes once more, and leaned into his embrace.

"Oui, merci beaucoup, Tessa," Remy said. "I jus' gon' take her on upstairs an' put her t' bed. S'late anyway."

"You should get some rest, as well, Remy," Tessa advised sternly. "Even with your wound healed, your body could still use some time to recover."

"As de doctor orders," Remy retorted with a grin, then started up the stairs, cradling Rogue in his arms. A few minutes later, Rogue opened her eyes when she lost contact with the warmth of Remy's body, and found that he had placed her down on her bed, and was about to head for the door.

"Stay," she rasped, watching him through half-lidded eyes.

Remy glanced back at her and smirked. "Thought y' were asleep, bébé," he said with a faint smirk.

"Ah want ya t' stay," Rogue said groggily.

"Y' need t' rest, p'tite."

"So do ya, swamp rat," she retorted with a yawn. "Now get over here, will ya?"

Remy grinned. "As de lady commands," he answered, moving back to her bedside. Nudging her with his elbow, he said, "Move over, chere. Y' takin' up de whole bed."

Complying, Rogue scooted over a bit, making room for him to lie down beside her. The bed dipped a little under his added weight, and she curled up beside him, savoring the warmth of his body next to hers. "Love ya, Remy," she murmured as she started to drift off to sleep, her head on his chest.

He chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "Remy loves you, too, p'tite. An' one o' dese days, he gon' show y' jus' how much."

Ya already did, swamp rat, Rogue thought as darkness claimed her. Ya already did.


Translations:

Venez avec moi- Come with me
pissé- pissed
bébé- babe