I took a poll on Twitter/X, and y'all were in the mood for a more dramatic, hurt/comfort style Romy fic. Over the course of writing this, it evolved to have some action/thriller elements as well, so hope that it's what everyone wanted.
This is VERY loosely inspired by the movie Annihilation (I highly recommend it if you haven't watched it yet). It's not a 1-1 plot reproduction, but there's elements from that movie that I wanted to incorporate into this fic, and things that felt very Rogue/Gambit coded to me in that movie.
This doesn't really take place in any specific timeline or universe, and didn't really want to tie it into a canon storyline specifically. It's more just about the fact that when the story starts, they're in an "off-time" of their relationship, or on a break, whatever you wanna call it.
TRIGGER WARNING: If you have a negative history with physical violence, hospitals and/or dealing with that kind of stress, please proceed with caution.
I hope you enjoy!
The mansion was quiet these days… too quiet for her liking.
Rogue was used to the noise of being in a house full of students and teachers, all supercharged with various powers and abilities. It had become a comfort to her, knowing she always had family around.
But over time, more and more people came and went, and as more missions came up, the mansion grew quieter, and she'd been left alone with her regrets. Which is why, if she was going to be alone, she wanted to be alone somewhere that made her feel a little more at home.
"Rogue…"
She looked over her shoulder from her spot on the dock by the lake, spotting her Canadian mentor as he had a cigar in his mouth, his mask pulled back, but still in his uniform, like he'd just gotten back from a mission. She gave a soft smile before asking politely, "Long day?"
He shrugged, "Been worse. How 'bout you?"
She sighed, letting him sit beside her, "Same ol' same…"
"Where's the Cajun at?" he asked, knowing that was likely what was on her mind.
"Like I know… he doesn't tell me his mission schedules when we're fightin'," she explained, leaning her cheek into her palm, resting on her knee as she watched the sunset.
Logan looked at her sideways, "Still…?"
Again, she shrugged, "That a surprise?"
"Nah, but just figured you two always patch things up sooner or later. Guess it's just later this time," he said, offering her some comfort.
"Maybe… but... I dunno if we're gonna come back from it this time," she said with a somber tone, remembering how she and Remy had left their last conversation.
She felt a bump from his shoulder to hers, "You will. Y' always do. And—if my opinion's worth anythn'...?"
She gave a look, inviting him to continue.
"Lot of people who let thing's fade between 'em until it makes it easier to leave… they do it 'cause the love faded long before," he explained, his decades worth of experience and insight guiding his advice, "You two… you fight 'cause you care. That comes from somewhere."
She offered a small smile, thanking him for his faith in their relationship, even if she sometimes struggled to have faith in it herself, "Thanks, Logan."
He started to say, "I know it's been rough these last few weeks, with yer powers…"
Static cut through the air quickly before their comms fired up, "Rogue, can you come to the War Room? The Professor and I need a word."
She let out a small groan as she pressed the comms on her belt, standing from the spot on the dock and replying swiftly, "On my way, Cyclops."
Logan stood with her, "Want me to join ya?"
"Didn'tcha just get back from somethin'?" she asked, pointing to him still dressed in his uniform.
He snuffed out his cigar as he walked with her, "Not like I got int' m' pajamas er nothin'."
"Suit yerself," she said back.
The pair of old friends made their way back to the mansion and headed straight to the War Room, where they found both Scott and the Professor, worry plastered all over their faces.
"Y'all have got t' get some better poker faces on ya. What's the matter?" she inquired with her usual brassy, Southern charm, and Logan following in close behind.
"Logan, can you give us the room?" Xavier asked politely.
Rogue turned back to him, "Whatever ya got t' say t' me, Logan is more than welcome to listen."
Xavier nodded, "We have a situation on our hands… we figured you should be the first to know, and possibly… lead a strike team."
Rogue could feel her chest tighten with that admission, "What's goin' on?"
Scott pulled up some of the stats and images from a mission she wasn't familiar with on the screens as Xavier started to explain, "We're currently tracking a cult that goes by the name 'The Purifiers'. They've been active for about two years now, mostly in online chats and forums, but their primary ethos seems to be that mutants are a sign of the end times and will bring about the end of the world… not just for humans, but everyone on Earth."
Logan scoffed, "Another doomsday cult, just with a mutant-flavored scapegoat spin on it."
Scott continued, "We'd been doing some reconnaissance work for the last few weeks; trying to figure out how deep their network goes and how much of a threat they currently pose to every day mutants."
As Scott explained, Rogue looked over the information and saw who they'd send on the reconnaissance.
Scott cleared his throat, "Gambit's been in Chicago; undercover and trying to get some intel on them. Last we heard from him, there was an in-person meeting coming up for all members nationwide—the biggest they've had yet. He was supposed to meet with someone higher up in the organization…"
"Yer startin' t' scare me, Cyke," she said in a slightly pitched voice, wanting him to get to the point, "What happened?"
Xavier interjected, "We've since lost contact with Gambit."
Rogue's heart slammed to a halt as she tried not to think of the worst case scenario. Her jaw tensed as she tried to rationalize it, "Gambit's gone radio silent fer undercover ops before, but usually never more 'n a day," she reasoned, "How long's it been since ya heard from 'im?"
She clocked the look Scott sent the Professor, as they seemed to fear what her response may be. Scott answered, "His last ping was around 48 hrs ago."
Her eyes went wide and her teeth started to bare. That was too damn long.
"And y' let it go this long?!" she practically screamed, slamming her hands down on the console, "What the hell were y'all doin' at hour twelve?!"
Xavier tried to calm her, "We didn't want to move in too soon and endanger his position if he was still undercover. Gambit set a longer time frame than usual—if we didn't hear from him after 48 hrs, we'd regroup and send in a recall team."
"And y' just agreed t' it?" she questioned, unable to hide her disbelief.
"Rogue… there've been disappearances in the area… of mutants," Xavier clarified, "Gambit needed to be discreet, making sure that if they were involved, that they were safe, and we didn't want to jeopardize him. So, he set the terms, and we agreed to them.
Scott continued, "He has more experience with these types of operations than any of us, so we let him lead it."
Rogue immediately grabbed the keys to an X-Jet as she replied sternly, "Send me his last position and fill me in on the details while I'm in the air."
Scott asked with a sigh, "Logan, go with her?"
Logan nodded without hesitation. As much as he was frustrated with One-Eye, Rogue and Gambit were the higher priority, "Sure thing. I'll keep an eye on her and we'll bring the Cajun home."
Flashback…
6 months ago…
Her heart had been so much lighter lately… happier.
Rogue did her best to not laugh and cry simultaneously, her voice screeching and howling for mercy of its own accord. She rolled over, grabbing Remy's hands from her sides as she straddled him, pinning his hands easily away from her body, "Y' don't play fair, Swamp Rat!"
When she was certain he wasn't going to try to tickle her again, she left his hand loose, resting her hands over his chest. His hand reached up for her cheek, brushing the evidence of his torture from her face, "Chère, you expect this Swamp Rat to not take advantage of something as simple as how ticklish y' are t' get the upper hand?"
She made a face as he squished her cheeks playfully, laughing enthusiastically as he managed to toss her back underneath him, "I guess I just hoped you'd take pity on me and protect m' secret; not use it against me."
He chuckled lowly, the sound reverberating from his chest, "Y' assume the best in me, mon cœur…"
She giggled, pulling him close and pressing against his lips, capturing their sweet bourbon and smoky flavor between her own.
As she pulled back, looking over the Cajun's shoulder, she watched as the stars started to sparkle in the sky out the window, "Looks like a clear night t'night—stars are out. We should head up t' the roof and stargaze a bit."
Remy didn't let his own gaze move from her for a second, "Really…? I'm seein' 'nough stars right here."
She laughed, gesturing to the window behind him, "See fer y'self, Cajun. They're right there."
"Wouldn't matter if I did, chère. Can't see nothin' but you right now," his voice oozed with a lovesick honey, his hand caressing her cheek like she was the most precious thing he ever stole. Her lips couldn't withhold the smile that exposed her every thought. That maybe... this time… things would stay like this forever.
Her powers were finally at bay.
She could control them at will.
The voices had started to quiet down.
And the first thing that crossed her mind—she only wanted to be with her man.
"I love y', Remy…" she whispered, letting her bare hands run over his chest and neck, enjoying the rougher texture of his skin and that burning look in his eyes as he looked like he could die a happy man knowing she loved him back. She'd mapped it to her memory so deeply, if there is such a thing as reincarnation, she'd bring it with her into the next life.
"Je t'aime, mon cœur," he said back in just as gentle a voice, as if afraid to shatter this small piece of heaven they'd carved out for themselves, "M' heart beats only fo' you, Anna."
Present Day…
Less than an hour after they took off, Rogue and Wolverine had landed the X-Jet not far from the coordinates Cyclops had sent them. It was in an industrial area, about an hour outside of Chicago, pretty out of the way from the city and other bystanders, which was one consideration they were thankful for.
They were both dressed in civilian wear to stay incognito, as they'd likely be going into enemy headquarters if worse came to worse. Being around a bunch of mutant-hating humans dressed as an X-Man was a quick way to getting found out.
They both clipped in their small earpieces, testing their comms before agreeing to their plan of attack.
"Accordin' t' Cyclops, Remy was meetin' up with someone from the group here," she reiterated.
"Twenty bucks says they sussed him out 'cause his cover got blown, and he got himself captured?" Wolverine joked, trying to keep the air between them light, but Rogue quickly threw him a glare instead.
He recoiled under her scrutiny, "Message received. Shuttin' up."
She repositioned herself as she looked at the warehouse, "The area looks abandoned… but there's some cars nearby. Seems like a perfect spot to hold a super secret cult meetin'."
"Do we know when that shindig was supposed t' happen?" Wolverine asked.
"Tonight—'round midnight—which is in just about 2 hrs," she answered, checking her time.
"'Kay, so how's about you go in through the front, and I go in from the back? See if we can find any hints of where the Cajun went to, or any new info about the missing mutants," he offered.
She nodded, "Sounds good."
They both moved out, Rogue moving towards the building from the main entrance. She gently knocked on the door, the rusted metal echoing her bangs in the quiet area. In a minute, she heard a screech as a metal plate slid to the side, seeing a much taller and brutish looking man staring down at her. Her face gave nothing away, her face stone sober as he asked, "Where does freedom lie?"
She answered intently, "In the hearts of the brave an' in the dreams of cowards."
The man slid the same plate closed, earning Rogue the unlatching sound that signaled she'd answered correctly, based on the intel Gambit had sent Cyclops just before his meeting.
She silently thanked Gambit as she made her way inside, finding a few men who were all giving her a sideways look, "Y' new?" one of them asked her.
"Yeah, I was invited by my boyfriend and he said to meet him inside. Told me the password an' everythin'," she again answered smoothly like it was second nature.
They all nodded, "Down the stairs, you'll see some others are here early as well."
She nodded with an overtly saccharine sweet reply, "Thanks, sugah."
Her face turned steely again after she made her way down into the basement of the building. They were right, there were some people there early… probably around 300 plus of them. If this was the early crowd, she wasn't sure she wanted to know how many they were expecting for the main event.
The crowd was pretty diverse, but all adults. Men, women, all sorts of backgrounds—all here to degrade and fear-monger against mutants. It made her sick to stand next to some of them, as she could hear some of their conversations. They talked so openly and proudly about hating a mutant co-worker, or a parent who'd found out their kid was a mutant and disowned them.
It gave Rogue flashbacks to her own father… kicking her out of the house after what happened with Cody…
She shook her head as she looked around, trying to refocus on the task at hand. There was a stage, with a very minimal spotlight and a table all set up for… something. It had a bunch of glasses set along a line, looked to be a dozen or so of them, and some dark maroon-colored liquid in something that looked like an ornate crystal decanter.
Rogue was already getting spiked Kool-Aid vibes from all this, and it made her skin crawl.
Between the crowd, she spotted a side door that some bigger guys who looked like wanna-be bouncers were walking in and out of.
'Obvious, much?' she thought to herself with a small roll of her eyes, as she notified Wolverine over her comms, "Hey Logan, I'm inside—in the basement. Looks like there's a few hundred people in here already, and I think I've found a potential backroom area where the higher ups might come in and out of."
She could hear him say back in her ear, "I think I'm already back there. The place is crawlin' with goons so gotta have eyes in the back of m' head. Some of 'em are armed, and not with the usual kinda tech."
"What kind?" she asked.
"Somethin' more designed to' take down mutants, most likely…" he answered, "Like ramped up water guns. They got attachments with some kinda liquid on 'em…"
"Keep me posted. Stay safe," she ended, heading towards the door she'd spotted, waiting for a clearing and making sure no one saw her move through the door.
The hallways were dingy, dirt-covered, and mold crawling along every wall. Looks like they'd spent their cleaning budget on the front of the house, where all the people were and needed to keep up appearances.
It was practically a maze. She looked down one hall and then another, choosing to just start picking a direction and making mental notes of where she was in relation to the main door.
As she passed some other doors, she noticed small windows, barely large enough to see a person's face. She pressed in close, looking inside and she was taken aback by what she saw. She covered her mouth to hold in her gasp as there were people in these rooms… but not just any people… mutants… the missing mutants.
She moved to another window, and sure enough, in each room, there was a mutant, strapped to a gurney with an IV drip line attached to each of their arms. They looked to be barely conscious, and all in pain; hardly strong enough to writhe against their bindings, and likely had no painkillers to handle whatever it was they were being administered.
"What the—?!" she said under her breath, but quickly quieted herself when she heard some noise coming from down the hall. She ducked into a room, which thankfully was unlocked…
They were unlocked…
Which meant… these mutants were so incapacitated, they didn't even bother locking them down.
Rogue immediately checked the room she was in, which luckily was empty, like it was barely used, before she went to her comms, adding Scott to the conversation, "Cyclops, we're gonna need an assist from the team, asap."
"What's up?" she heard him ask back quickly.
She said in a hushed but hurried voice, "I'm inside the warehouse y' sent as Gambit's last coordinates. There's about a dozen mutants here that are immobilized and hooked up to something that's making them too weak to escape on their own. The rooms are all unlocked, but they're each strapped to beds with IVs goin' int' them. I dunno what they're doin' t' them, but we can't help 'em all on our own.
"Problem is, it's the same place they're havin' their big meetin', so it's crawlin' with civilians. Not t' mention they've got some kind of goon squad as their muscle."
Wolverine chimed in, "I think I might know what the stuff in their IVs are."
Cyclops asked, "What'd you find, Wolverine?"
"It's some kinda poison… maybe a neurotoxin," he said, going on to explain, "I'm in a different area than Rogue—their lab. They've got some specs and it looks like somethin' outta a horror movie."
Rogue heard a paper shift, like he was reading something to himself, "'Designed to incapacitate and eradicate those with the mutated X-genome...' It's a toxin that only targets mutant genetics."
Rogue's heart stopped as she realized what was happening, "They're demonstrating it…"
"What's that, Rogue?"
She reiterated, "They're usin' the meeting to demonstrate the toxin! They had a whole set up in the main hall with the same stuff that's in the IVs. They're gonna murder a bunch of innocent mutants as an offerin' to their fucked up god… maybe they think it'll prevent the end of the world?"
After a beat of silence, she heard Cyclops come back over the earpiece, "Alright, we need you two to fall back so we can regroup in a coordinated offense once the team arrives."
Her jaw dropped, "Scott, what're y' talkin' about?! These mutants are about t' be sacrificed by religious zealots in the next hour! We gotta help 'em, now!"
He came back, "We're already getting a team together, Rogue. The Professor's getting any available X-Men now onto the Blackbird, but we can't have you guys move in without us there to back you up. We've got civilians to clear, wounded mutants to help, and a militia to fight; it's too much for you two to handle on your own."
He paused, but Rogue could only see red.
Scott emphasized, "Get out of the building, and we'll meet you at the X-Jet's location. That's an order."
She shook her head, "I ain't leavin'! Especially when we still don't know where Remy is yet!"
"Rogue, you might be putting him and every other mutant there in danger if you move too soon!" Scott commanded, "Now fall back!"
Her breathing became erratic. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Sorry, Cyke... I'm not leavin' without Remy."
"Rogu—!" she swiftly shut off their comms to Cyclops' frequency.
She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, trying to see through her frustration and emotions.
"Logan…?" she asked.
A beat later, "I'm here."
"I…" her voice hesitated in her throat, "I-I can't leave him here…"
"I know, kid."
She took a deep breath as she asked, "Y' with me on this?"
He scoffed, "Like y' even had t' ask."
She sighed with relief, "Alright… I'm gonna see if I can find a guard and absorb some info. Get a clearer picture of what the plans are for this whole thing, and if there's a secret exit we don't know about to help get some of these mutants out before anyone notices."
She neglected to explain that she also hoped she could get some information about where Remy was located…
"Alright, I'll try to take out some of the goons with some stealth, try to weaken their numbers before the main event starts," he explained.
They both had their plans, "Logan… thank you."
"Thank me when it's over," he replied, before they both went quiet on their radios.
Flashback…
4 weeks ago…
"Rogue…?" she could hear his quiet plea for an answer through the door.
"I wanna be alone, Remy," she answered solemnly, though she knew it wasn't the one he wanted to hear.
"We have t' talk about what happened, chère," he said. His voice wasn't demanding, it never was, but there was an insistence.
"What's there t' say? I'm back at square one," she spat out bitterly, "It's pretty cut 'n dry."
Before she could argue more, she heard her bedroom door open, and Remy stepped in, still dressed in his gym gear from earlier, and closing the door behind him, "We're not having this conversation through a door, Anna Marie."
"Good, 'cause I didn't intend on havin' it t' begin with," she bit back, facing away from him on her bed, curled up into herself, now covered head to toe; a feeling she'd have to get used to all over again.
He approached her like one would approach a bird; ready to fly at any moment if one wrong move scared them off, "Chère, things be no different 'tween us… I'm still…"
She looked over her shoulder, and saw the worry in his eyes. And she couldn't stand that look… that pitiful look.
"This is why I wanted t' be alone, Swamp Rat. I can't handle it right now," she said, turning away again.
"Handle what?" he asked genuinely.
She couldn't take it as she whipped back at him, "You! Lookin' at me like that—like I'm broken again!"
He tried not to take it personally when she'd said that he was the issue, because she knew he wasn't… neither of them were, "Y' ain't broken, Anna… y' never were."
"My powers are!" she retorted, "So it may as well be me!"
He slowly tried to reach for her gloved hand, as a means to comfort her—show her he wasn't afraid of her powers—but she snatched it away from him with a quick snap like he was made of fire and had scalded her skin. It was something she hadn't done in a very long time; not since they first met.
That hurt him. She never withheld physical touch from him, even when they couldn't have skin-to-skin contact; she'd always let him hold her or kiss her hand, because it was one of the little ways he had to connect with her; to show his devotion to her.
He sighed, "Anna… I have every faith in y' t' regain control o' y' powers. And even if ya don't, it don't matter none if y' can touch today, tomorrow, a year, or fifty years from now… I still be here. Y' ain't losin' me that easy."
She gave him a sad look, those tell-tale tears edging the corners of her eyes, "Y' shouldn't hafta be tho…"
"But I wan' t' be," he quickly cut in, "I wan' this. I wan' you, and… I just wish y' could see that."
"I don't want this fo' ya!" she sobbed.
He shook his head, "I made m' choices, Anna."
"And I'm makin' mine," she said back, "Leave, Remy. Ya deserve better than—"
"We're not doin' this routine, chère," he said back, cutting her off, "I'm not gonna leave y' alone to deal with this just 'cause you wanna push me out again, when we both know it's not what y' want."
"What I want?! All I ever wanted was fo' you 'n me to be happy, Remy!" she cried in frustration, "But how can y' be when this is what y' have t' deal with?"
She shook her head in exasperation, "Y' too good a man to leave me 'cause y' feel sorry fo' me."
"Y' know that ain't true," he argued, "I love you with everything in me, chère. Y' the strongest woman I ever known, and it gon' take more than y' sendin' me away to get me to stop lovin' you."
She looked up at him with piercing eyes as she said very pointedly, "I don't love you…"
She knew she just had to hurt him enough to get him to walk out. But the man was stubborn. She could see his jaw tense, knowing what game she was playing at, "Anna…"
"I don't love you," she repeated with a harshness he hadn't heard from her in a while. It even felt foreign to her.
"Why y' doin' this?" he pushed, a small hint of his own frustration starting to finally come to the surface.
"If it'll make y' leave, I'll say it a million times!" she cried, "I don't love you!"
He knew what she was doing… but that didn't make it hurt less.
"Anna—"
That familiar static interrupted their argument, "Gambit, can you come down to the War Room?"
His eyes never wavered from hers, but he could see she wasn't going to budge on this… not tonight, at least. He clicked his comms, "Gimme ten."
His eyes scanned over her distraught face, tears flowing down freely as she covered her face from his intense gaze; the immediate shame of what she was trying to do rushed over her.
His instincts were always to reach out for her. She could feel his fingers brush her shoulder before he pulled them away, thinking better of it.
She listened as his footsteps moved further from her until he reached the door, "Take y' time chère… I still be here when y' work out what y' need to."
Rogue's eyes watched as he left her, isolated as she had wished, and had immediately regretted it.
Present Day…
Rogue started down the hall, making her way to a sign that looked like it could help orient her, even if it didn't have a "Bad Guys Here" arrow.
She saw that there was a lunchroom down the hall and to the right, so she figured that would be where more of them would congregate. Instead, she went the other way, and hoped she could find a one off guard—which luckily, she did.
"Yeah…" she heard one guy say, likely into a phone or some comm device, "Yeah, should be ready soon. They're takin' that X-punk up first."
Her ears perked up.
"Yeah, they'll never know what hit 'em… fuckin' freaks," he said, before Rogue came up behind him, grabbing the guard by his neck and absorbing his mind and energy before letting him collapse into a heap on the floor.
A wave of information and details swarmed her mind like bees on a nest, but she managed to sift through it all to the most recent and relevant intel.
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she pulled flashes of Remy from his memory…
Flashback…
"Caught ourselves a bonafide X-Man!" the guard had chided gleefully, before landing a sharp kick to Remy's head, knocking him unconscious.
The memories were horrifying…
Flashback…
A higher up in the chain grabbed him by the hair and pulled his face—battered and bloody—up while he was tied to a chair, "Tell us where yer other mutie friends are, and we'll spare you the fate we have planned for all of you genetic freaks."
Remy looked dazed, like he wasn't fully cogent, but Rogue didn't have a complete memory as to why that might be. Either way, there had to be some reason he wasn't using his powers to escape.
Even in this state, Remy managed to spit blood in the man's face, a cocky grin showing his bloodied mouth as he grunted out, "Fuck you, homme."
The man threw his head away, wiping the blood from his face while another man punched Remy square in the jaw.
"No!" she cried, struggling to watch the memories replay.
As she got a handle of herself, using grounding techniques she'd used before, she managed to conjure more memories…
Flashback…
"For tonight's festivities, I think it best we start with him," the same man from before was talking to someone that Rogue couldn't see from her angle.
It was in one of those same rooms that the other mutants were in; dirty and disgusting, but in a different location to the rest of the cells.
Remy—on a slab with the same IV drip connected to his arm as the others, his injuries even worse than before—was in so much pain, but trying his best not to let it show to these grotesque excuses for humans.
Another male voice chimed in, one that sounded vaguely familiar to her ear, "What better way to demonstrate what we can do than by using one of the X-Men as our main showpiece? I like it."
"Logan, y' there?" she asked hurriedly.
"Kinda busy at the moment," he said back, "What's up?"
"I know where Remy is," she said, "I'm goin' after 'im!"
"I thought we were gonna try and get some of the other mutants out quietly while everyone was distracted?"
"We are… or you are. But I need to get to 'im first before they start their demo… he's first on their docket."
"Shit…" Logan swore, "Fine. Where's the exit at, and I'll do what I can t'—"
He got cut off as Rogue cried, "Logan?"
He didn't answer, and she frustratedly growled to herself. She had to trust that he was alright, but for now, she had to get to Remy.
She ran down the hallway, following her instincts that she'd pulled from the guard to guide her movements. She stopped in front of a door that was near the lunchroom she'd avoided earlier, but right now, all she could focus on was getting to her man.
She pushed open the door in a frenzy, but was shocked to find it empty, though not barren.
"Where…?" she asked in a heaving breath, frantically searching for him.
The gurney was still there, looking like they'd just pulled him off of it because there was still fresh blood and sweat all over it.
In the distance, she could hear the crowd start to cheer, and the microphone that had been set up on the stage started to broadcast throughout the building.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us this evening! We know many of you made it here from across our great nation and we see each and every one of you, dedicated to the cause of humanity's cleansing."
Rogue tried calling for Wolverine again, "Logan?"
Still no answer.
She made a split moment decision and headed back to the main hall. She ran with a break neck speed, as the presentation continued over the broadcast.
"Tonight is the beginning of a new age… one that will free us from our dire fate, and save the world from the devils that seek to overrun and pollute our people. Every mutant that is born is solely driven to ruin and destroy everything that we have built, and that evil in them must be eradicated.
"They're thought leaders—their prophets, like the mutant Charles Xavier—they claim they are simply products of evolution; the natural way of life. But because of our divine light, we know better. We see through their veil and they will not indoctrinate our children and our communities with their depraved and sin-filled ways. We know they are born to exact the worst evils upon us, and we must do what we can to fight against it."
Each word cut deeper and deeper as she moved, rushing to reach the main hall before anything could happen. The crowd's applause and chants grew louder and louder and she was terrified of it.
"As such, we will be making examples of them here—tonight! We are setting the stage for a brighter future, and we are doing so with this—a derivative of a plant grown only in the harshest of environments near volcanic actively—this elixir can remove a mutant's powers from them and redeem their souls from the plagued bodies they were born into."
Another loud applause rang as she finally hit the door to the hall. With a hard push, it opened, and Rogue was faced with a massive crowd of people, all staring up at a man on stage behind the table of glasses. Rogue didn't immediately recognize him, but there was barely a moment to register what was happening as the curtain behind him was opened, revealing Gambit…
She wanted to scream out for him, but her voice had lost all its power.
Her mind completely removed everything else out of her periphery. She could only see him.
Suspended by his wrists, in rusted, heavy chains.
His face was beaten, bloodied, and bruised.
His head limply hanging forward, but his expression echoing the pain he'd been enduring for days.
The man that had been on stage with him reached for the decanter, pouring a glass of that damned fluid, and Rogue was snapped out of her trance when she saw a guard grab Remy by his scalp, wrenching his head backward awkwardly.
"In honor of our first cleansing," the man continued, "We have one of the X-Men; the first of many to be saved, and a demonstration of what we can do as Purifiers!" the man continued, walking towards Gambit, glass lifted to administer…
Her feet were off the ground before she could even think.
"Git yer hands offa him!" Rogue didn't recognize her own voice as she cried out, flying towards the stage in a blinding rage.
She punched the man straight in the face, knocking him across the stage, breaking a few walls in the process and rattling the building.
Screams erupted from the crowd, a decent amount of them booing her as others rushed to flee, but she barely noticed before she turned her attention to the two guards on stage, grabbing the weapons they held at their sides with minimal fight back from them when compared to her own strength.
The weapons looked like the guns Logan had described earlier; something like an automatic and targeted, aerosolized version of the toxin—to incapacitate mutants, if needed.
She cracked the two weapons together with a heave of her strength, shattering them completely, causing the vials to break and the liquids contained in them to pour out between the floorboards.
She next grabbed the table, throwing it at the guards, knocking them both out into the crowd, causing the mass of people to scream and run, leaving her only on the stage with Remy.
She turned back to him, her hands immediately reaching for the chains that bound him, breaking them at the links as he collapsed into her. His body was limp and weak, and up close, Rogue could see the blood that was both fresh from his brow and caked into his torn button-down shirt. She managed to hold him up with little effort as she checked his vitals.
"I gotcha, Remy…" she said to him, feeling his breath faintly against her cheek and taking him against her shoulder as she promised him, "We're gonna getcha home, sugah."
He was barely conscious, heavily tranquilized by the toxin, but he managed a small smirk as he cracked open an eye at her, struggling to say, "Mon ange... always comin' t'... my rescue."
As the last of the crowd ran out of the building, she heard the same man from earlier shout, "Secure and evacuate the rest of the captives! If more X-Men are coming, we need to leave now!"
She angrily glared at thim. His nose was busted into his face and bleeding from every angle, but still somehow so focused on his hate. However, before she could spit back an insult at the madman…
"Bub, if you don't want anymore pain fer you and yer lackeys, yer gonna listen real good."
Rogue flipped over her shoulder and saw Logan, holding a bloodied up man she instantly recognized, "Stryker?!"
Logan had his fist against the evangelical's neck, threatening him as he spoke to Rogue, "Turns out this whole operation was his little brain child. Figured if there's one good way t' get average people to kill innocent mutants, it's with blind faith."
"You mutant frea—…" Stryker started to spit venomously, but Logan bashed his fist into his head, knocking him around enough to shut him up.
"Now listen here," Logan started at the wanna be preacher from before, "If y' don't want yer precious leader t' be shish kabob, yer gonna release all those mutants ya got stowed away in the back."
The man and other guards had started to encircle the mutants. Rogue could only hold Remy closer to her as she refused to let them hurt him again or take him from her.
"Y' wouldn't…" the man said.
Stryker then tried to shout, "Let them try it! X-Men don't kill…"
"For you lot…? I'm willin' to make an exception," Wolverine threatened, his claws inching out more and more into the man's throat.
Another rumble echoed through the building, "What the—?" they could hear some of the guards shout.
Quickly, red blasts came into view through the roof, and Rogue instantly recognized her fellow X-Men. They started to fight with the guards—Jean, Storm and Iceman easily taking down many of them, containing them and their weaponry.
The smell of sulfur filled her nose and that subtle sound of air being displaced as she suddenly saw her brother beside her, "Kurt!"
"Rogue, I hope vhe are not too late," he said worriedly as he crouched beside her and Remy, seeing the state of his friend, who had fallen unconscious.
Her mind clicked as she started to explain, "There's mutants in the back, in rooms… they need t' be evacuated, and they need medical attention."
"On my vhay," he said, disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared, heading to the back to start rescuing their fellow mutants.
As the guards started to get cleared, Rogue lifted Remy and flew him to the upper level of the building through the hole that had been created by Cyclops's optic blast. Cyclops and Beast were there as she made her way up, giving Scott a look of disappointment as she said plainly, "We gotta get him and all the other mutants to a hospital, now!"
She could see a look on Scott's face that looked like worry, but they all let it slide until later during the debrief. For now, they had work to do…
Beast escorted her and Remy back to the Blackbird, finding that Kurt was already getting the mutants into the cargo bay of the plane as they approached. Beast had started asking her questions about their condition and what they should expect so he could start making arrangements about developing some kind of antidote for them.
Rogue set Remy down on one of the make-shift cots they had so that Beast could assess him and the other mutants. She stood back, letting him work, but couldn't stop the anger boiling her blood as she watched one by one, more mutants, all in similar conditions to Remy, were loaded onto the Blackbird.
She turned and flew out of the cargo bay, heading back down into the building. As Jean, Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Iceman had taken out most of the men, Rogue floated down to join them as they began to interrogate Stryker.
"Jean, scan his mind," Cyclops instructed. Rogue watched as Jean did so, pulling information from him, as he had been stubborn and refused to answer their questions.
"Rogue and Wolverine were right," Jean confirmed, not believing what she was finding, "The toxin, in high enough doses, is designed to kill anyone with the X-gene. In aerosolized form, it neutralizes mutant powers and immobilizes the target so they're easier to restrain and capture. If diluted and administered over long periods, it incapacitates them and causes pain due to the damage to their nervous system. However, past a certain point…"
Rogue's jaw tensed and her brow furrowed dangerously. Had she and Logan not been there, Remy would've been…
Cyclops reached for his comm, getting in touch with local law enforcement so they could bring back up and notify a local hospital for incoming patients.
"What're we gonna do with him and all these doomsday sickos?" Wolverine asked.
"They'll be arrested and likely be jailed for kidnapping, attempted murder with over a dozen counts, and the cult will be labeled as a terrorist group," Cyclop explained.
"That ain't good enough," Rogue said brashly, brushing past them all as she grabbed for Stryker by the collar, "Him and the rest of these pigs don' deserve t' breath another day after what they did t' Remy and those mutants!"
"Rogue!" Storm called to her.
Jean gently tried to calm her as she touched Rogue arm, "Rogue, let him go. They can't hurt anyone else now."
Rogue's eyes burned into Jean, "Y' didn't see them… how many people! Hundreds of them, all just waitin' an' cheerin as they tried t'—!"
"I know, Rogue…" Jean spoke softly, "I know, but we have to be better than them.I promise, we won't let them go unpunished."
Rogue heaved a breath as she tossed Stryker back to the ground, watching as he cowered in fear of her. She spat at him before turning her back on him, Logan following after her as she said bitterly, "We'll meet the rest of you at the hospital."
The team that stayed at the building spent hours working with the authorities to make sure the investigation wasn't botched and that Stryker and any Purifier member were properly dealt with, having assurances from both the Professor and Captain America that they would personally oversee the case to make sure it was followed through by prosecutors.
Rogue, Beast, Logan and Kurt brought all the victims to a local mutant-friendly hospital, where they were more immediately treated for their injuries and stabilized. Remy was immediately brought in for surgery due to his injuries being more extensive than the others.
In addition to the toxin, he'd had some fractures in his orbital bone and ribs, and his hands were broken in multiple places too, likely from fighting back. One of the fractured ribs was causing some internal bleeding that needed to be repaired, and there was a litany of lacerations over his body. On top of it all, there were layers of concussions that had come up on brain scans. It was more damage than he'd probably ever sustained before in his life, which was saying something for the Cajun who'd defied death at multiple points in his life.
Hours were spent on the phone between Beast, Moira and Forge, working along with the doctors to do lab testing and start ideating on an antidote for them. Rogue helped to fill in some information based on what she'd absorbed from the guard and Logan was able to provide a sample of the toxin that he'd swiped from the lab. When the rest of the team finally arrived, Jean was able to fully relay the information she's siphoned from Stryker's mind, going into the details of what they're plan had been and how broad the network had become. That gave them all a good head start.
Over the next 72 hrs, two of the mutants had died as a result of complications the toxin did to their bodies, causing organ failure and irreparable damage to their central nervous systems. With each passing minute, Rogue worried if the next time they got pulled in by a doctor, it'd be to tell her that Remy was next.
The others who'd regained consciousness and were able to speak started to talk to the team and the authorities about what had happened. Many were kidnapped while leaving work or were alone at night, remembering gas that exploded in their faces and instantly made them feel sick to their stomachs, made them dizzy, and took away their powers. They talked about how their heads were pounding with awful migraines so long as that IV was attached to them.
One teenage girl talked about how when she was being brought in just a few days ago, she recognized Gambit talking to one of the men. She knew he was one of the X-Men and had begged him to help her. He'd tried to rescue her… to save them all, but the guards had already managed to use the gas on him too before he could try anything with his powers. She'd felt awful for being the reason he got caught as well.
Rogue tried not to let those thoughts overwhelm her as she stood behind a glass wall, watching as Remy's heavily bandaged chest still moved. Breathing through a tube and wires coming from everywhere, only the faint echo of the machines that were keeping him stable providing any kind of comfort to her. Even alone, she was pushing back her tears at seeing him like this…
A metal creak nearby told her that someone was joining her, but she never let her eyes deviate from Remy as she took a steadying breath.
"Any changes?" Scott asked solemnly.
She shook her head, "He's stable. Beast and the doctors said they had to put him in an induced coma. He had more severe physical injuries than the others did 'cause he'd…" she couldn't bring herself to say it, "When he didn't have his powers…"
Rogue remembered the memories of seeing Remy getting beaten by the guards when they were torturing him for information about the rest of the X-Men. He never faultured though. He remained loyal, even when they were hurting him so bad.
Scott stood beside her, facing the window as he tried to start, "Rogue…"
"If yer gonna apologize, Scott, save it," she rebuffed quickly, "It's Remy y' owe it to."
"Making these kinds of calls in the moment isn't easy," he explained, "And while I know you were just acting on instinct, things could've gone a whole lot worse because you ignored orders and went in without a plan."
She turned sharply to him, "We did have a plan! I just made a different call. And besides, if I had listened t' yer orders, Remy would be dead right now! And even more of those other mutants along with him!"
She scoffed in anger as she turned back to Remy, "You didn't see it, Scott. All those people… they were cheerin' for it… like it was entertainment to 'em. It was horrifyin'!" she tried to explain to their leader as she remembered seeing Remy on that stage, "You'd feel the same if it were Jean that was chained up like that… like an animal…"
He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You're not wrong."
She looked up at him, as he turned back to the window, "If it were Jean in there… I don't know what I'd do. She's… everything to me…"
Rogue looked over at Remy as she said, "Same, sugah."
Scott decided to leave it be, "I am sorry. I hope you understand why I did what I did in the moment. I have to agree that you… you did the right thing in the end. For both your sakes, I hope Gambit recovers from this."
She nodded, "Thanks, Cyke. 'Ppreciate that."
As he turned to leave, Rogue asked, "Scott?"
He paused at the door as he listened, "Can y' talk to the doctors t' see 'bout if we can bring him home?"
He gave her a small smile, "I'll see what I can do."
They brought Remy home once Beast was able to adjust the Blackbird to accommodate the equipment needed for his transport. They'd gotten him back to the medbay without incident and Rogue had stayed by his side the whole way without fail.
Multiple X-Men would routinely visit, bringing flowers or other "get well" paraphernalia, but Rogue rarely left him. Kurt would check in on her, Logan too by bringing some food, but she'd always refute any concerns they had for her.
Over the next week, Beast and his colleagues finally managed to test an antidote that was likely to restore the damage to the victim's powers and nervous systems. Hank came into the room with the prepared antidote and watched as Rogue quickly brushed her cheek. Her eyes were red and a little puffy as she resumed her hand's place over Remy's arm, comforting him even while he was still asleep.
"We should start to see improvements in the next 24 hrs, my dear," he said in an optimistic tone as he set the IV bag down, placing his hand on Rogue's shoulder, "Once we see better activity, we'll start taking him out of the coma and he can begin the road to recovery."
"Thank you, Hank," she replied somberly, putting her hand over Hank's as she looked at the IV bag, "I hope it works."
"Do you not have faith in us?" he asked somewhat rhetorically and with a slight joking tone.
She smiled sadly, "'Course I do."
"Then have faith in him as well, for he will need it more than ever in the months ahead."
She nodded, watching as Hank set up the IV as he asked her, "How long have you been down here?"
She shrugged, redirecting her gaze to Remy, "T' be honest… I kinda lost track o' the time."
As he finished starting the line, placing Gambit's arm back down, he recommended, "As your resident physician, I must advise you to get a shower and a good night's sleep. I assure you that Gambit's condition will take time to improve and you can afford a few hours to take care of yourself."
Her eyes shot up at Hank in realization, "I just… I need t' be here… where he wakes up. I owe him somethin'…"
"Eight hours," he replied, "Shower, eat a good meal, sleep… and come back after a decent rest. I will be here to monitor him and I promise you, we won't proceed with anything unless you're here with him."
She saw the worry in her friend's face, so she nodded, "Alright…"
She stood from her chair, walking around the bed and hugging Hank as her body struggled to not break down at that very moment. Hank could feel it as he hugged her back, her smaller frame shuddering as she was trying to restrain herself.
Rogue went upstairs and sat in her shower for at least an hour, letting the scalding hot water steam around her and the sound of the water obfuscate her sobs as she cried every tear she'd been holding in. She managed to eat a little, finding some leftovers from dinner in the fridge, but she barely slept. How could she…?
Within a few days, Remy's results were already showing improvement to his vitals. Some of his injuries were on the mend, and Hank felt confident they could start bringing him out of the coma.
Hank told her that the other mutants who'd been victims of the toxin were already recovering as well; some were able to demonstrate that the neutral pathways that connected them to their powers were being restored slowly, but that it would take time to fully recover their abilities. It gave Rogue a lot of hope…
The sedatives started to be lowered, and Hank let her know what to look for before leaving the two of them be. He let her know to call for him if anything changed or if he woke up.
Over the next few hours, Rogue's mind had started to drift, largely wondering what she'd say to him when he finally did wake up. There'd been so many things left unsaid when they last spoke…
After everything that had happened, this whole ordeal brought her back to earth in a drastic way. She was even struggling to remember what they'd even been fighting about before he'd left on this mission. What was she so upset about that she'd tried to hurt him so much?
She knew the answer; it was her own insecurities. Her own fears that now that her powers were back, Remy would leave her and break her heart. So… she tried to preempt it. She tried to force him to leave, in the hopes of saving herself the painful sting of his rejection and what that might do to her if it were ever true.
However, all she did was cause both of them more pain than either of them deserved. Their lives were already complicated and full of challenges as it was, and he was willing to stand by her while she faced hers. She shouldn't have added to that strain, but she had been so caught up in her own mind, it was hard to see through the fog of it all. She knew that now… because she knew she would have regretted what she'd said every day for the rest of her life if Remy had died thinking she didn't love him, or at least hated him enough to hurt him like she did.
He'd said he'd still be there for her when she was ready… she hoped he meant that.
She was so lost in her thoughts, it shocked her when she felt something twitch within her hand lightly. She looked up, readjusted herself to lean in closer, holding his hand delicately in both of hers as she whispered his name.
It took a moment, but she could see his one unbandaged eye starting to weakly open, and that ruby red color that lit her up with every glance was visible to her once more. She could see his eye crinkle in that way it would when he was happy to see her.
"Sugah…" she breathed in a sigh of relief, her eyes turning glassy almost instantly.
He tried to lazily raise his opposite hand to the tube in his mouth, communicating what he wanted. Standing beside him, she slowly worked to remove the tubing from his throat the way Hank had shown her so as not to cause any more damage to his esophagus, allowing him to breathe on his own.
"Hank said you might have a hard time talkin' for a bit, but we'll take it nice and easy for now," she explained, setting the tube to the side as she sat back next to his bed, never letting her gaze fall away from him as she gently took his hand in hers again.
His lips were dry and cracked, but he managed to roll his head to look at her and say in a hoarse and raspy voice, "Chère… this death?"
Somehow he still had that charming tone in his voice and that stupid smirk that even he couldn't seem to erase, even when battered the way he was.
She shook her head with a smile on her lips as she carefully ran her hand over his hair to comfort him, "Nah, Cajun. Y' managed to slip through death's fingers once again. But y'are still worse fer wear, so try not to move too fast, 'kay?"
He gave a short chuckle as he weakly reply, "Not gon' lie… surprised… t' see y'…"
Her face fell at that, her eyes finally averting from his as she felt shame and guilt wash over her.
He continued between strained breaths, "Unless… we not fightin'... no mo'?"
She let out a baffled scoff, trying to hold back her tears, but they streamed down as she looked back to him, "No… we ain't fightin' anymore. I just hope y' can forgive me… fo' everythin' I'd said before…?"
She could feel his thumb move over her hand and squeezing hers, his usual way of comforting her, managing to convey every ounce of love he felt for her in just his answer, "Bon… we good, chère..."
Her heart swelled.
She leaned over him, and planted a kiss in his hair, holding him there for a moment, before she whispered against him with a voice that cracked with regret, "I'm so sorry, Remy…"
He could only respond with his hand tightening around hers, before it went too far and he grunted in pain. His hand was still injured, and she immediately backed away, letting his hand relax back on the bed. She sat back down as she explained, "Y've been through the ringer, sugah, and y' gonna have t' take it easy for the next little while."
He tried to laugh through the discomfort, "That doctor's orders?"
She nodded, "And mine. Someone's gotta mind ya while you recover."
"Guess there's no… way t'... convince y' otherwise?" he asked jokingly.
She said his own words back to him, "Y' ain't losin' me that easy, Swamp Rat."
"Wouldn't have it… any other way, chère."
Once his body had recovered enough from his injuries, Gambit began his many months long journey of physical therapy and retraining to work his way back up to his power's full capacity. The bruises and scars were mostly faded, though they remained faint markers on his skin of what Rogue had almost lost.
It had been an adjustment period for Remy, that much was certain, and he'd had his moments of frustration. Every so often, he'd be upset that his powers weren't as co-operative as they once were, or that something that used to feel like second nature to him—like throwing cards with near perfect accuracy—was now a struggle.
But… he had Rogue, and she had faith in him.
It was everything he needed to continue on. It was the fire and the fuel he needed to persevere.
She'd celebrate every small win with him, and supported him through every major setback, never letting his current state define how much she loved him. With each passing day, Rogue started to understand more and more the kind of dedication it took to stand by someone who, at times, could lose hope in themselves, and how deep Remy's love for her must have gone for him to have remained by her all these years during her own struggles.
While they knew there was a chance that he wouldn't ever be at the same levels he was before, they kept at it like that possibility didn't matter.
The whole ordeal inspired Rogue to start her own journey again; to work on her own powers and gaining control over them.
Even if it was a longshot, or even if she never got them back, at least she had Remy and she had her family. At least they had one another to love through it all, and while it didn't fix every problem they'd had, it certainly made all the other baggage they were carrying just that little bit easier to manage.
On a warm, early, autumn day, Remy had been working on his target practice outside as Rogue came out with some lunch.
He managed to hit all three of his targets repeatedly with his cards while doing some basic acrobatics or martial arts moves, which was a recent improvement. Even if the aim wasn't as deadly accurate, it was certainly far better than he had been when he first started up, and the fact that he was on target at all while doing stunts was quite a feat.
"Lookin' good, sugah!" she called sweetly, setting their food and drinks down as she watched him finish up, wiping some sweat off his brow with a towel as he joined her by the patio, "Y' hungry?"
"Y' read m' mind," he commented happily, "Though, as much I love you, mon cœur… I do hope that food was prepared by someone other than you… or Jeannie…?"
"Smart ass, Swamp Rat…" she bemoaned under her breath as she turned away from him to set up the plates, "You'll be glad t' know this was Kurt's recipe. Some o' his schnitzel and cabbage."
She was startled when she felt Remy reach for her from behind as he looped his hands around her waist, pulling her against his bare, sweaty chest.
"Remy!" she squealed, trying to wiggle out of his hold before he could tickle her, but found herself not wanting to actually leave his grasp, "Stop it! Y' gross!"
He pressed a kiss into her hair behind her ear, whispering affectionately, "Admit it. Y' love it, mon chère."
She laughed as she managed to spin in his arms, looping her own hands around his neck as she lazily gazed up at him, spotting the scar over his brow. She reached a gloved hand to brush her thumb over it, cradling his cheek as he asked her, "How'd your session wit' the Professor go?"
She smiled as he relinquished his hold on her so they could sit down for lunch, "That was actually somethin' I was hopin' t' talk t' ya about, Cajun."
His brows lifted in curiosity before a smirk crossed his lips, "Oh?"
She gave him knowing a look, "Now don't get yer hopes up… but there might be some opportunity for some practice in y' future… if y' willin'?"
"O' course, chère! But it's good new t' hear y' makin' some progress, non?" he said joyfully.
She nodded, "It's still early days, but based on a theory they have, he and Beast think they might be able t' get me back to where I was last year, or at least somethin' close to it. I just hope it's not a false promise…"
Remy reached his hand over the table for hers, giving it a small squeeze and reassuring look, "One foot in front o' the other, chère."
She smiled at him with that glow she saved for only him, "I know."
As they started to eat, Remy offered, "Speakin' o' the good doctor, he thinks I might be given the all clear t' start goin' on missions again in the next week o' two."
"Really?" she asked with an intrigued sound in her tone, "He thinks you're ready?"
He nodded, "Still got some mo' work t' do, and they wanna run me through Danger Room sessions, just t' be safe, but yeah…"
"That's great news, sugah!" she cheered, "It'll be nice havin' my partner back in the field with me."
He smirked, "I've missed it just as much. Besides, I'm just glad y' don't go an' get some new partner while I was out of commission."
She giggled as she took a drink, "I don't think I'd ever be able t' find someone t' replace you, Cajun. And besides, s'not like y' could get rid o' me that easy."
"Would never dream of it, chère," he said back, earning that special sparkle in her eyes that reminded him of starlight every time she lit up.
After a few moments, she wondered aloud, "Is this… what it should've always been like fo' us, Remy?"
He gave her a confused look.
She clarified, "All those years… the back and forth between us… is this what we were missin' out on?"
He thought about it for a minute before he replied, "Guess we'll never know, chère. Me, I don't care t' dwell on the 'what coulda been'. We are where we are now 'cause that's the way the cards played out and the choices we made."
He looked back at her, with that adoring look she'd never get tired of, "And if things didn't happen how they did, maybe we wouldn't be where we are now. Now that would be the worst crime o' them all."
She smiled as she agreed, "I guess yer right."
They continued their meal with relative ease, making plans for their day together, and hopeful of the many more they'd have together in the future.
I have to say, I'm particularly proud of this fic.
I really hope you all enjoyed both the drama, but the nice bit of fluff at the end. I'll definitely need to write a few more fluffy one-shots to balance this one out because this took more out of me mentally to write than usual.
If you enjoyed it, please let me know with a like/kudos or a comment. It really helps to keep me motivated to write more.
Until Next Time…