Dear Readers – I hate to give excuses but I really feel like I owe you one. Over the past several months (you know, the ones where I didn't update) I have really been up to my ears with things to do. I double enrolled in college over the summer in order to graduate on time, and between reading, writing, studying, and going to class I just didn't get a whole lot of time for consciousness and creativity. Also, I started my very own counseling (which inspired the final Moira segment) because apparently I'm not entirely normal. Lol. No, really its more like Rogue: I'm just trying to get myself to a healthier place. But enough about that. Once the summer was over I needed to move two hours away to rejoin my parents until such time as my finances improve (is that not the lamest thing you ever heard?) and if any of you have families I'm sure you can understand how that might be hectic. Suffice to say I've either been busy or exhausted, but things are finally settling down a little and I'm getting into a more reasonable schedule. I've missed writing this as much if not more than you've missed reading it. I was just getting to the good parts and everything stopped! But here, finally, is a new chapter for you to enjoy. It might not be the most incredible ever as I got a little rusty, but I'm hoping to get my stride back as quickly as possible. Thanks so much for your patience and for continuing to read. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I will not abandon this story. I will finish it, so help me. I hope you all are doing really well, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Red Skippy – Thank you! It's always wonderful to hear from you! I was worried that the café would be a little too low key, and maybe boring, but I'm glad it came across pretty well. I promise that there are more chapters like this, but unfortunately not for a little bit. I've got to move the other plot with the Sentinels forward a little bit. Thanks so much for reading!

Bologna121 – At long last I have managed to comply with your request for more. Things should pick up from here, and thanks for reading!

Iloveromys – Hi! Thanks so much for reviewing! And no worries about the privacy thing, romy fans are some of the awesomest people anywhere so I don't mind sharing. *grins* I'm actually not from NY, but just south of Washington, D.C.. The café is real however, I looked it up online and even had our favorite crime fighting duo order from the real menu. The Swing 41 club also exists, as does saw mill river parkway. I use google maps to find cool spots near the supposed address of the X-mansion to send them to. If I ever head up that way, I think I'll have to stop and try it out. That shepherd's pie did sound delicious. If you do end up going, let me know how it is! That would be really exciting!

Queenofspades19 – hoorah! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the date! I kind of enjoyed writing some down time for our favorite couple, what with all the chaos all the time. Everyone needs a break.

Crack4sure – If you've really been on dates like that then I'm totally jealous! Lol. Happily ever after indeed. How could it not be happily ever after with Remy? Thanks for reading and for your review!

Aniuwolfe – thank you so much for reading through this entire thing! I feel so bad for those of you joining the story now because its just so heinously long, and not even finished yet. It is such a huge compliment that you took the time out of your life, but especially your sleep to read. I hope it was worth it! I don't want to give too much away, but I have some very different plans for Antarctica than what you're thinking. I won't say if its good or bad, just different. And we'll just see what kind of trouble comes Remy's way. Thank you for your review and suggestions, it keeps my wheels turning!

ChaiGirl – Geez! I stole an entire day from you? I'll say I'm sorry only if you didn't enjoy it. Thank you for reading through the whole way, and for your incredibly thoughtful comments. I'm glad the characters are coming across so well, as really it's the person interactions that drew me to X-men to begin with. Please do keep me in check if that starts to slip! I'm sorry you had to spend so much time on an incomplete story, but as I've said before, this story will get done. It may take awhile, but I swear I will not abandon it!

Shandy – Your reviews always reassure me that I'm not the only person in the world who thinks I'm funny. Lol. As far as Remy's snippiness, he's patience himself as long as he isn't feeling vulnerable. After all, Rogue isn't the only one with a tough past. But all in good time. Muahahaha! And thanks for the specific quote, it made me laugh that I could make you laugh. I am so jealous of you being a Scot! I think Scotland is beautiful and I've always wanted to go, but no dice so far. I apologize for the broad accent as I know it's over the top, but I figured I'd just write accents the way they were in the comics, like you said. And if its any consolation, I'm originally from Georgia (deep American south) and I don't sound anything like Rogue! Lol. However, if you have any suggestions for me about anything you'd like done differently, or any details stuff you'd like included, I'm all ears! Thanks for reading and your review!

SparklesInTheSun – Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! I'm also glad that you seem to think there's a good balance between the serious and humor portions. I have trouble deciding when something is lighthearted and when it needs to be heavy, so I'm glad I'm not mucking it up terribly so far. Logan is incredibly special, and I love how protective he is of Rogue too! I don't know what she did to make him like her so much, but I'm glad she did it. And Bobby is such a wild card. He really does think out loud, and its one of his most charming traits. Sorry it took me so long to update!

Selina – Hahahaha! To the point as usual! Thank you for that review, it made me laugh a lot. You're approval is worth a thousand words. Thanks for reading along, hope you enjoy the new chapter as much as the last one!

Sweetcornbee – Never fear, dear reader! I have taken a solemn vow never to abandon this story! Granted it has taken me an unreasonably long time to post this latest update, but if you'll see the above hopefully you can forgive me. I really desperately want to finish this story. I'm every bit as emotionally involved as you are. I'm glad the pace doesn't feel too slow. On the one hand I want Remy and Rogue together, but on the other I want it to feel real without taking the rest of my life to finish. I just hope the grand finale lives up to your expectations! Thanks for reading and your review!

Randirogue – Thank you so much for finding my story and taking the time to read it, I know what a huge time investment it is at this point, and I'm glad its still good enough to capture your attention! I'm sorry its taken such a long time to update, but I promise I will never abandon this story. I'm sticking to my guns, I'm just a slowpoke. Hopefully the updates will be more forthcoming for the next little bit. As far as constructive criticism goes, that will certainly not impeded future updates, and I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions you might have. I want this story to not suck more than anyone! Lol. Thank you for all the compliments and the review!

Part 23: Prophecy

I didn' wan' to do it. She looked so sweet, limp in my arms wit' sleep. S' moments like dese dat touch a special place in my heart.

We had been quietly listening to de music fo' some time, but it had still surprised me to feel her slump against my shoulder wit' one big sigh. I had looked down to find an angel sleeping.

But it was after eleven, and our communicators were buzzing. If we waited much longer Scott would surely sick de dogs on us. I had to do it, whether I wanted to or not.

I gently pulled my arm out from under her. It was jus' enough to jostle her awake, and she jumped, eyelids fluttering open to reveal dose twin pools o' green.

I smiled and ran one hand through her hair. "Hey dere, sleeping beauty."

She sat up abruptly and started rubbing her eyes. "Oh geez did Ah really fall asleep? Ah'm sorry Rem, Ah didn't even realize Ah was tired."

I shrugged at her. "I didn' mind."

Jus' den de communicators buzzed again. Rogue looked down and groaned. "He's gonna skin us alive."

"I t'ink yo' probably safe from dat particular fate, chere." She cut her eyes at me, but smiled.

"Ah suppose we have to face the music, huh?"

"I could tie you up and tell dem I kidnapped you."

"Now why do Ah not trust you under those circumstances?"

I grinned. "Beats me. But hey, maybe we'll save dat fo' a later date." Den I t'ought about it and ran a hand through my hair a little nervously. "So…does dis count as a first date? Or we still jus' 'acquaintances'?"

Her eyes got big fo' a second, and den she cocked her head to one side curiously. "You'd accept this as a first date? Ah mean, we didn't dress up or spend a bunch of money…just seems sort of casual foah yoah idea of a date."

I smiled gently. "I don' know about you, petite, but I had a wonderful time."

She smiled her biggest smile and looked away as she blushed. "Well then, Mr. Lebeau, Ah suppose we're datin'."

It would be an understatement to say "dat took long enough", so instead I grabbed her around de waist and spun her around while she slapped mah chest and told me to put her down, dangit!

"Honestly, Cajun, can't you ever skip the theatrics?"

"Not wit' you. Besides, I t'ought you wanted to know me better. Guess I'm jus' gon' have to act like myself mo' often."

She smiled encouragingly. "Just as long as you remember that Ah can pile drive you all the way down to the subway if Ah've got a mind to."

"'S a deal." I grabbed her hand and we started making our way out. As we stepped outside, I frowned. De night had put a chill in de air, and a light drizzle was coming down from a shrouded sky.

Rogue had chosen a dress, and I had chosen de motorcycle. I hate it when t'ings don' work out de way I planned.

"Tell you what, chere, why don' you let me call you cab and I'll take de bike back?"

"Not a chance. Ah give you the bike and you'll take the long way home. Ah'm not facin' everybody by mah lonesome."

I laughed. "What if I swear I'll make it back first?"

She fidgeted wit' her skirt. "If's it's all the same, Ah'd like to stay with you. Besides, it's not that cold."

Now how could I resist? "All right den, dere's only one solution: you got to wear de jacket."

"Remy you'll freeze. And like Ah said, it's not that cold."

"We gon' be traveling sixty-five miles an hour on a motorbike fo' twenty minutes. You are wearin' de jacket."

"And what are you gonna wear, pray tell?"

I grinned wickedly. "You."

I let her decide whether she was irritated, flustered, or intrigued while I swung my jacket off and around her shoulders. It was big in all de wrong places, and it made her look like a little girl playing dress-up as she scowled up at me. Adorable.

We hopped on de bike, and I took my time getting it started up while she wound dose arms around me, pressing close against my back. On de one hand, I loved to revel in her touch, but on de uddah, her curves were de kind dat could give a man a problem if he didn' mind his manners.

Suddenly a t'ought occurred to me. "Hey, you mind if we make a quick stop while we're out?"

"No. In fact Ah'm all foah any delay you can conjure."

"Unfortunately dis won' take long, but since we're out anyway…"

It had occurred to me dat in all de hullabaloo back at de mansion, it had been nearly a month since I had checked my P.O. Box fo' any information from Henri. Of course, it had been pretty quiet befo' dat so I wasn' too worried, but it was probably gon' be a long while befo' we were allowed back out o' de mansion.

I got us dere quick as I could and left Rogue wit' de bike. I had some second t'oughts about bringing Rogue to my secret correspondence, but hey, we were here and after all, P.O. boxes are secure against most prying eyes. Not mine, o' course, but probably hers.

To my surprise, dere were three letters inside. I didn' wan' to risk opening dem in de rain, so I stuffed dem in my pockets and went back to de bike.

D'ough my mind raced with curiosity, I tried not to t'ink about de letters. Not'ing I could do til I got home and opened dem, and I wanted to enjoy my ride wit' Rogue befo' de world came crashing down.

It wasn' hard to stay warm on dat bike. My mind went back over our evening: our first date. I had been chasing dis girl so long it caught me off guard when she started chasing me. I hadn' even gotten close to saying any o' de t'ings dat might be deal breakers, but even still, I couldn' remember de last time I'd felt so close to anyone.

God help me, I was so happy.

We pulled up to de gate, and I hesitated befo' pushing de button dat would open dem and alert everyone to de fact dat we were back. I reached out tentatively, but Rogue grabbed my wrist.

"Remy, stop the bike will ya?"

I obliged, and she climbed off. "You know, as soon as you push that button, this date is over."

"You suggesting somet'ing?" I winked, hopefully.

"Nah. Ah suppose we gotta go back sometime."

"Well den?"

She twisted her fingers; a mannerism dat meant whatever she was gon' say or do next she'd been working up to fo' awhile. Dis could potentially be very bad. I went rigid, waiting.

"Well, um, Ah didn't think dates ended by pushin' a button."

Like a dummy, I didn' follow. Instead I raised an eyebrow, invitin' her to go on. She rubbed her shoulder nervously.

"Ah…um…sorta thought they ended with a kiss."

As soon as I could make meaning o' her words, I couldn't help but smile, dismounting de bike and striding over to her.

"Of course. Yo' absolutely right, ma chere. How could I forget?"

I wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close, and with the uddah took her hand in mine, raising it. I brushed my cheek lightly across her knuckles befo' I pressed my lips gently to de back o' her hand, lingering dere long enough to meet her eyes.

She was breathing quick, nervous breaths, and her eyes seemed conflicted. I had jus' enough time to wonder what was going on befo' she leapt at me, wrapping one arm around my neck wit' her fingers in my hair.

Wit' no warning whatever, she put her uddah hand to my lips, and planted a hard kiss on de uddah side.

Fo' a moment I was too startled to do anyt'ing at all. It tends to happen when she gets in dese moods. Den I was hopelessly enslaved to my senses, which is usually de next t'ing dat happens.

I know it seems strange to you. Her hand kept us separated, what kind o' kiss is dat? But dis is because you haven' been kissed by Rogue. I have dat honor. I could feel her lips on de uddah side, moving wit' mine. I could feel her sweet breath on my face. I could feel how much she wanted me, and I couldn' help but feel exactly de same.

Dere's not'ing quite like being close wit' someone who's close to you. Work dat out fo' yo'self.

After an indeterminate amount o' time, we drew back. I felt my eyes burning, but I didn' care, because I knew she didn'.

"T'anks…fo' dat."

She smiled shyly, and fo' some reason it made me wan' to shred dat dress o' hers. I considered it briefly, but den decided dat it was, after all, de first date. So instead I hugged her, and she hugged me back. I enjoyed it fo' all it was worth.

She sighed heavily. "Well Cajun, its been nice knowin' ya." Wit' dat, she pressed de button to open de gate.

Scott came over de intercom. "Get in here THIS MINUTE."

Our eyes met regretfully as we hopped back on de bike and drove it into de garage. Scott was standing inside with his arms crossed over his chest, staring down his nose at us. Scott's aggressive stance always makes me feel like he's gon' pull a bazooka out o' thin air and blow me away befo' I can say "oncle".

"I don't suppose either of you have anything to say for yourselves."

"Non, and since we got not'ing to say we'll jus head upstairs wit'out supper. Bon nuit-,"

"Oh shut it Lebeau. Do you two have any idea what you might have caused, leaving without any warning and not answering your communicators? Do you realize that the communicators are for EMERGENCY communication only?"

"Well no, Dad, actually Ah didn't, cause you use them more like baby monitors. Now we are X-men but we are also adults. We've been workin' hard and we decided to take the afternoon off. Ah don't think Ah need to explain mahself."

"If you were such a confident adult, Rogue, then why didn't you tell someone you were leaving?"

"Well…cause…ya woulda said no."

"That's funny. I thought you didn't need my permission. You think anybody here hasn't been working hard? No one else felt the need to go AWOL. It was immature and irresponsible. You want to get treated like an adult? Act like one. In the meantime, the communication you so graciously chose to ignore was letting you know that there was an emergency of sorts here at the mansion. We needed you and we couldn't reach you. For being the two newest members of the X-men team, you two certainly know how to earn your stripes."

Me and Rogue stood dere shuffling our feet and looking at de ground. I had a flashback to every single day o' my childhood.

"I'd love to elaborate further on just how much this kind of attitude offends me, but unfortunately I don't have the time. Suffice to say you will make this up to the team in triplicate at my discretion. For now both of you need to be made at least partially aware of our new tenants."

Rogue looked up. "New tenants?"

"Exactly. The Brotherhood arrived today to help us with the investigation of the Sentinel attacks. I would've liked to give you some time to prepare, Rogue, but you know, gosh, I couldn't get ahold of you."

You know Scott's mad when he's being sarcastic. That's like a code red. He turned and stormed inside. Rogue stood still, staring intently at the floor.

"You all right, chere?"

"Fine. Just tryin' to remember if Ah've ever absorbed anybody that can turn invisible."

"Now dat I don' know…but at least yo' invincible."

She sighed. "It'll have to do."

"Besides, even invisible, I can smell ya." We both jumped and turned at the sound of another voice.

Logan entered the garage from behind us. "Great googamooga Logan don't do that to me!"

"Look kid, if I hadn't been off tryin' to find ya fer the last two hours I might care. Things being what they are, you better know ol' Mystique has been wheedlin' into yer business since the second she got here. Might wanna be more discrete in the future."

"Let her snoop then. Ah don't give a hoot what she thinks."

She sounded confident when she said it, but one look from Logan let me know I wasn' de only one less dan convinced.

We headed to our rooms in a strange kind o'humor. On de one hand, Rogue and I had successfully completed our first date and neither one was dead: dat's reason to celebrate. One de uddah, knowing dat de Bruddahood was lurking around de corner made un homme ill at ease.

I would like to continue wit' "de next morning" but sadly de story picks up "later dat night". Hank McCoy is a man who is sustained on passion alone, and gave me an ungodly wake up call.

"Remy my boy you'll never believe what I've discovered!"

I pulled de covers over my head to block out the sudden light wit' a groan. "Agreed. So why don' you convince me when de sun comes up hahn?"

Hank either ignored me, or was too excited to realize I had spoken. "I've been so side tracked by the coding and guidance systems that I overlooked the most elementary evidence. Erik noticed an irregularity in the metal alloy used in the construction of the Sentinels. Of course I was immediately perplexed, and upon closer inspection of what I had assumed to be ordinary materials, I found instead a highly complex polymer. After some experimentation I discovered the basic traits of the polymer are to be lightweight, durable, but most intriguing was their heat properties. The chemical bonds are such that they are somewhat vulnerable to extreme heat, but incredibly resistant against extreme cold. I don't know how I could have missed this before. Of course the on board computers and electronics would need some kind of protection. It seems I couldn't see the forest for the trees."

"Hank?" I sat up and looked at him groggily. "I don' mean to rain on your parade, so I'll try to say dis as slowly an' gently as possible…huh?"

He laughed his perpetually good natured laugh. "This means, my sleep deprived friend, that Antarctica is a realistic destination. There's no other reason the Sentinels would not only have the coordinates but also be equipped for such an extreme climate. Though we don't know where the destination falls in the big picture, it is most assuredly where we will find our next clues."

"Excellent work, Hank. Tres bon. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"I'm afraid not. There's so much to do and time is more critical than ever."

"O' course. When is time not critical?"

Hank shot me an apologetic look as I flung de covers off an' slipped a pair o' jeans and my jacket over my pajamas. We hurried down to de subbasement where a throng o' zombified-looking mutants were gath'ring round de conference table. O' course, dere were a few unfamiliar faces, as well as a few unwelcome ones.

"Excellent, Charles. Of course we have no objections to an Antarctic expedition. How very exciting. Do let us know if there's any way we can help with the various elements of bureaucracy."

Dere was no mistaking dis homme. His voice was a rich baritone, his posture regal, his longish-gray hair, though slicked back, was reminiscent o' a lion in winter. He wore a jarringly blood red suit and a purple cape, and his left arm rested on a purple metal helmet clearly visible from its prominent perch on de table. Magneto.

"I appreciate the gesture of goodwill, Erik, but I'm not sure what you mean," de Professor's voice was good-natured as always, but his face had a guarded quality dat I hadn't seen before.

"Well certainly you will need to coordinate with your friends from the government, international organizations, humanitarian supporters, all your human friends who will be rushing to aid us in this historical endeavor."

Magneto didn' even try to mask his sarcasm, and de Professor's voice was harder when he answered, "I'm afraid I have not concealed any interested parties from you. The only people we need concern ourselves with organizing are those here at the mansion: succinctly, the Brotherhood and we X-men."

Feigning a look o' surprise, Magneto pressed on. "Why Charles, I am shocked. All this time you've led me to believe that cooperation between humans and mutants was a sure success. Here I thought with all your connections and persistent work in encouraging acceptance that some progress would have been made: certainly enough to persuade some human somewhere that 400 mutant civilians have civil rights worth protecting."

De Bruddahood emissaries snickered unabashedly. Charles ignored dem completely and answered in a hard voice, "I, like you, was hopeful for a greater response than what reality has granted us at this time. Nevertheless, I am loath to give up on the cause of what is right and decent only because the path proves harder than expected. I find hope easier to defend than tyranny, but on this point you and I consistently differ. I am not interested in evangelism at present, old friend, not for my part or yours. We are here on common ground, and I suggest we stay on it until the task at hand is resolved."

Every X-man present backed up de Professor's words wit a harsh glare. De Professor is an easy man to get behind, I'll give him dat. To my surprise, Erik nodded almos' respectfully. "Very well, old friend. Let us retire the debate for the time being on this last word: I'd like to remind any of you X-men who are troubled by the logical notion of mutants relying on friends rather than enemies that there are plenty who share your conviction, and there is a place where you can enjoy the security of protection from the outside world without living a lie."

"And let me remind any of you interested in free will for yourselves or others that you are exactly where you need to be and are welcome to remain as long as you determine appropriate. Henry, will you share your findings with us?"

Normally, ol' Remy has no head fo' politics but dis was an exciting lil' exchange; warring fo' souls in 100 words or less. Hank got up an' began his dissertation, but seeing as I'd already heard de bulk o' it and my hackles were up I t'ought it best to familiarize myself wit' de new faces. I immediately recognized Mystique on Magneto's right: she makes an impression dat's hard to forget. She hadn' so much as glanced at me, but kept her challenging gaze on Hank, who was too excited wit' his precious science to be much aware o' his surroundings.

Beside Mystique was a terrifying looking hulk o' a man…or maybe somet'ing else. His clothes were ragged, and de sleeves o' his jacket were torn off to reveal some truly impressive guns. Looking at de size o' him, it was a wonder dat de chair was managing to hold him up. His hair was long and shaggy, and his face was covered in what looked more like fur dan hair. He seemed completely disinterested in what was being said, instead staring at de table and cracking his neck, shoulders, hands, fingers…if it could pop he was determined to make it.

Beside him an' adding to de impression o' sheer size was a lil stringy guy. He sat awkwardly as though his body wasn' put together quite right an' couldn' seem to hold still to save his life. He looked almos' sick to me, practically green. Suddenly, his tongue flicked way out o' his mouth and dragged across his left eye. It took everyt'ing I had not to shudder. Dat's jus' plain disgusting, not to mention bad manners.

A gorgeous woman dressed in all red cringed next to him. She gave him a quick but hearty look o' disgust befoah turnin' back to listen to Hank. Dis woman was unmissably gorgeous; dark hair, full lips, fair complexion, an' her dark eyes held a vibrant spark o' intelligence. She was magnetic. Her eyes caught mine and she smiled casually, almos' like we were all here fo' de first day o' school an' she wanted to make nice wit' de uddah new kids. Her smile was brief and den she looked away.

De man beside her was de kind I hate ta see; tall, angular, handsome, even an element o' de tortured soul written on his uddahwise flawless face: competition. His eyes were de lightest blue I'd ever seen on a person, enough to make you wonder if he's wearing contacts. His hair was likewise a startlingly light blonde, almos' white…maybe even closer dan almos'. He looked like he belonged in a Calvin Klein ad, except dat somet'ing about his countenance was jus' plain unhappy. Couldn' put my finger on it, jus' seemed like someone ought to buy de man a drink.

Standing behind de lot o' dem was man who was…less dan competitive. He was huge, but not like de first guy…he was tubby. In fact I was impressed dat he could still stand wit' so many layers o' flab weighing him down. Seems like he should be on a motorized scooter or maybe a really big wheelbarrow. I guess his hair was either a dark blond or light brown; it was so close cropped to his head dat it was hard to say. His eyes were prolly brown, but ag'in s' hard to say fo' sure behind dose round cheeks. Worst o' all, he was in some kind o' leotard. I couldn' stomach looking at him long.

Beside him a willow o' a woman seemed to shrink into de shadows, or maybe s' jus' who she was standing next to. De tilt o' her head, cane and dark sunglasses inside tipped me off to de surprise dat she was blind. Her gray hair was short and in her blue suit she looked almos' dignified. I couldn' help but wonder what she was doing wit de rest o' de collection, like Queen Elizabeth providing a cameo for Fraggle Rock. As I was looking at her, her head turned suddenly toward me, almos' like she could see me. I was about to write her off as de creepiest t'ing I'd seen since "The Ring", when she suddenly walked to the door and nodded at me to follow.

I was confused o' course, and looked to de rest o' de X-men team fo' some kind o' confirmation, but dey were determined to look only at Hank. Since it was jus' Hank, Jean, Cyclops, and Storm down so far, I guess dey were unhappy about being outnumbered. De lady tapped her cane impatiently and I followed her out.

"Bonjour, madame. I'm-,"

"Remy, isn't it?"

I was a little surprised…apparently de Bruddahood really kept tabs on de X-team roster.

"Since I have not yet discovered a way to make such information gentle, please allow me to make myself plain. My name for your purposes is Destiny. I am a mutant who sees into the future, and I am a person who loves Rogue infinitely. That said, I have seen a vision of your future which is of the utmost urgency."

She stopped here ever so briefly. My head wanted to spin, but after all I'm from N'awlins: I've heard dis kind o' talk befo'. I waited fo' her to go on, but she seemed content to wait.

"S' dis de part where I give you a twenty to go on?"

She ignored me. "What are your feelings about Rogue?"

My stomach hit de floor. "What?"

"Do you love her?"

I stepped back, reeling, but I couldn' answer.

"I see your face…there is so much pain. Your hands are covered in blood. You are so sorry, so shocked. There is no malice, no satisfaction. You never meant to kill her."

"What are you talking about?! What is dis? Kill who?"

Suddenly she dropped her cane and grabbed my shoulders roughly. Normally dis would have made me defensive, but her face was wrenched in concern. "You get ahold of yourself! Listen to me and listen well: if you go to Antarctica, you will kill Rogue. If you do not care for her now, you will. You will not mean for it to happen, but mark my words she will be lying in your arms, broken and bloody. Please Remy, you must not go! Say you will not! You are the one who can make the vision disappear: I cannot bear to see it."

I shook her off less dan gently, and to my great surprise my hands shook fiercely and the room lit up wit' de glow from my eyes. "I don' know you, and you don' know me, but dere's a few t'ings I do know. You're wit de Bruddahood. You and de rest o' dose miscreants in dere hurt her ag'in and ag'in until she had no choice but to leave. I can' believe dat any o' you really care, and neither can she. I will not listen to you shout at me from such a pulpit dat I'm de one who's gon' do her harm. I would never hurt Rogue, not fo' any reason, an' I don' take kindly to anyone suggesting uddahwise."

"If it will soothe your anger to hurt me, Mr. Lebeau, then do so. I am not trying to compete with you. I have never considered myself blameless, but that does not mean I cannot care. You left her once yourself, in spite of your care. Something is coming, something we cannot expect. Just promise you will not go!"

Her accusation dealt annuddah blow. What is dis woman trying to do? How does she know dese t'ings? Under dat sightless gaze I couldn' seem to draw breath, like de air had grown too heavy. De room spun.

Jus' den, Rogue came around de corner, an' her eyes grew wide at de scene.

"What in tarnation is goin' on?! Remy, stop!"

I tried, dazed as I was, to pull all dat energy back inside, to quiet my eyes and mind, but I couldn'.

"I'm sorry…I didn' mean….I can'….Rogue I wouldn'….I'm sorry…"

To my surprise, Rogue shot a glare at Destiny, and den approached me. She put her hands on either side o' my face.

"It's ok Remy. Everything's fine. Irene's power gives her a bit of flair foah the dramatic. Take a deep breath."

I tried, but where normally dose green eyes would have made de world seem all right, de idea o' her death at my hands almos' made dem impossible to bear. Not ag'in. Not dis time. It had to stop somewhere. A person can' go through life destroyin' everyt'ing dey touch. I had to be capable o' doing good at some point. Please not her.

Her brow creased wit' concern. "You know Remy, Irene once told me that the only way Ah'd ever learn to control mah powers was if Ah wore a collar. Ah wore a dang collar foah a year and as you can see, nothin' ever came of it. Maybe it was a symbol, maybe it was a possible outcome of somethin' that never happened, who knows? Irene may see the future, but she can't tell you what it means, and she can't know if the future will change. All we can know foah shoah is the present. Well at the present we're here in the dang subbasement early in the mornin', safe and bored. When you calm down, we'll probably have a big, boring breakfast. Then we'll go do some boring training. Everything is ok."

I closed my eyes and drew a breath. The air seemed normal ag'in. The energy wavered ever so slightly, and I slowly started pulling it back. I nodded once to let her know I was ok. It was de best I could do.

She let go and turned on Destiny, who had magically become Irene. "Ah figured leavin' you losers high an' dry was a pretty clear cut message, but apparently you just didn't get it, so here it is again: stay outta mah business, away from mah friends, and outta mah life! Ah'm not ashamed, ah'm not scared, ah'm not conflicted, ah have no regrets. Every time you people show up you mess everything up."

"Rogue, I was not trying to upset him, or you. I saw something, something that made me very afraid. I do not wish to see such things, but I have no choice. I only told him what I saw, and I told the truth. I do not think the Brotherhood is the place you need to be. You are wise enough to make your own choices, and I have never tried to persuade you otherwise. I may love Raven, but I am not her. Do not convict us of the same crimes. However much you may disagree, however angry you become, you will not deter me from trying to protect you."

"Well foah not trying to upset anyone you do a hell of a job."

"That is a trait we share, my dear."

"In the future, when you're tryin' to protect me, why don't you talk to me about it, since ah'm wise enough to make mah own decisions and all?"

"Sometimes you are not the one with a decision to make."

"Of course not. When you can see the future ah guess you've got an answer foah everything."

"And if you want to be sure of the answers, you know they are always free to you."

Irene extended her hand, and Rogue practically snarled at her, "Ah am not gonna touch you, Irene."

"Then you'll have to trust me the old fashioned way."

Dey stood, staring at one annudah across de hallway, Rogue's posture was defiant while Destiny was patient and austere. Finally, she spoke. "This was not quite the reunion I had hoped for."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, but sighed. "Yeah. Ah wasn't sure you'd come at all. Ah was hopin' you would."

"Your mother does make it difficult for us to love one another."

"No, just difficult to see one another."

Rogue's attitude toward Irene was surprisingly gentle. It gave my mind a distraction as I carefully wound down from de adrenaline.

"Well if you'll promise to be a little nicer to mah friends, maybe we can start over."

"I have said my piece and it is out of my hands."

"Close enough." Rogue walked over to de door o' de conference room an' peeked inside. She rolled her eyes and walked back.

"Did they have to bring Creed?"

"Erik never misses an opportunity to make a statement."

"Ah'm guessin' Mystique is plannin' to make mah life hell?"

"Actually, I think she's a little wary of you. She doesn't know what to expect."

"Why not? She has you."

Irene just shrugged. "What happens between you and she should stay between the two of you. You're both too strong willed for a little old lady with a cane to influence."

"You always use that excuse to get out of givin' answers. What are we missin' out here anyway?"

Irene leveled her gaze back at me. "From the sound of it, I'd say some of you are headed for Antarctica."

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