Chapter 7:
With Remy & Rouge:
"Dhat was a complete disaster! Didn' find anyt'ing out and Marie exhausted herself! Can feel her grip slippin'...Damn, she ain' gon' make it to dhe school. Gotta find somewhere where to rest for a while, jus' 'til she alert enough to hold on and not fall off dhe bike. But where? Not Remy's place. Too far away. Ugh, how did you ge' yourself into dhis LeBeau? Remy known dhis fille for all of half a day yet he feel so strongly for her...Wha' dhat 'bout?? Dhere jus' somet'ing 'bout her...Makes Remy wan' protect her, keep her safe, make her happy......make her his!" Remy thought as he found the next best place for rouge to rest.
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Back At The School:
The school was gradually filling up with students again as groups began to return in time for curfew. Every student had once again been sent out in search of Rogue the moment the teachers realised she was gone. Logan, Ororo and Scott had also gone out searching as soon as they were positive that neither Kitty or Jubilee had any idea where she was. Kurt and Hank had stayed behind at the school so that if Rogue returned injured then they could immediately help her. The Professor and Jean had also stayed at the school and had gone straight down to Cerebro where they remained still. (Xavier's machine)
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Down In Cerebro:
"It's no use." The Professor sighed to Jean who was standing just behind him. He removed the head set and placed it down in front of himself.
"You still can't find her?" Jean asked, her tone a little fearful.
"I don't know what's wrong. It's like yesterday. She just doesn't seem to be anywhere." He mused.
"Do you think that, maybe, Hank's on the right track? Could a mental illness possibly effect the accuracy of tracing her mind?" Jean inquired.
"I'm really not sure." The Professor admitted. "Very little research has been done into mutants by mutants. Government officials are more interested in finding ways to manipulate us to their advantage rather than how ordinary conditions can effect powers."
"So it may be a possibility?" She concluded sadly.
"It certainly can't be totally dismissed as a possibility." The Professor agreed. A heavy silence filled the chamber as both thought of the various implications of the whole situation with the young mutant.
"Should I try again?" Jean suggested after a while.
"Yes, if you wish. I don't think it would be wise to stop trying. We may eventually find her plus it will help you to develop your control." The Professor answered as he moved out of Jean's way.
"Professor?" Kurt's voice suddenly came in the Professor's head.
"Yes Kurt?"
"Ze final group of students have returned to ze school."
"Thank you Kurt." The Professor said before closing the mental link. So now that meant that there were a lot less people out searching for Rogue. Which meant they were less likely to find her before anything bad happened...
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Back With Remy & Rouge:
Rogue groaned as her consciousness seeped back to her. Every muscle and joint felt stiff and her head ached so badly. She felt warm though and she was laying on something soft. Her eyes remained closed as she did make a move to sit up but found she was being held down at the shoulders by a firm hand. She gave an annoyed grunt in protest and tried to bat the hand away.
"Easy dhere cherie." Remy soothed as he moved to sit next to her on the bed she lay on. "Stay layin' down."
"Where are we?" Rogue moaned, bringing a hand up to her head and still not opening her eyes.
"Dhe empty apartment 'bove Joe's cafe. You passed out 'bout a block away from here. Remy's apartment and dhe school be too far away so he bought you here 'til you well enough to ride again." He explained as he let his hand trail down her arm from her shoulder. Rogue blushed a little at his action but didn't have the energy or the will power to do much else.
"What tahme is it?" She asked through a sigh.
"One twen'y a.m." He answered as he glanced at his wrist watch.
"Ugh, Ah'm so dead when Ah get back." She groaned. Remy said nothing and just rearranged his position so he could hold her hand. Rogue's eyes snapped open and her blush deepened but she did allow her head to roll to the side so she could look at him. Calm quiet ruled for a while before Rogue decided to speak. "Remy, whah didn't you tell me Juli was an assassin?"
"Didn' wanna scare you chere and Remy didn' t'ink dhey'd fire on an unarmed fille." He answered. A dark frown formed on his face after and he glared down at the floor. "Dhose assassins got no honour."
"Whah is he in New York? Ain't his home and family in Louisiana?" She continued to query.
"Dhey're here for me." Remy replied simply.
"Whah?"
"Don' know." He sighed tiredly as he ran his free hand over his face and letting it run up through his hair. "Wha'ever message dhey had, it's obvious dhey never had any intention of relayin' it"
Rogue watched Remy sadly as he moved his hand out of his hair before covering his eyes with it and giving a tired sigh. She instantly decided that she didn't like Sad Remy. Cheerful Remy, Playful Remy, Hell, even Cocky Remy she could handle. Not Sad Remy though. Everything about him seemed to darken, he suddenly seemed so tired and his eyes; those beautiful eyes which usually sparkled with playful mischief now just looked tired and dull. She knew it was selfish but she needed him to be cheerful, up beat, and playful. It made her feel normal. She felt confident around him, like she wasn't a mutant who would never be able to touch, but just a normal girl who had a crush on a normal, up beat guy.
She knew what was wrong. He wanted to know what Juli was up to. He was worried about the various possibilities. And she knew she could help him. Everything he wanted to know and was worried about was somewhere in her head. So she began to sift through everyone who was with her and quickly found Juli as he was still quite far forward. She began to search though his memories which seemed to annoy the fragment of mind and when she found what she was looking for, it annoyed him even more. He pushed forward roughly causing Rogue to visibly wince and take in a sharp breathe. Remy's head shot up at that and he saw as her face creased in pain.
"Rogue?" He called gently as he scooted up closer to the head of the bed. Rogue's only reply was a small, hoarse squeak. She curled up on her side and clutched her head as Juli decided he liked the effect the push had on her and therefore was going to keep doing it.
"Remy! Push him back!" Rogue cried in her mind. No reply came though. "Remy?" She tried again. Still nothing. Another sharp push, much stronger this time. A soft wail made it past her lips this time and she curled up a little tighter.
"Wha's wrong chere? Wha' is it?" Remy asked gently while leaning closer to her. Rogue shook her head, no longer capable of speech and squeezed his hand, which she still held, tighter. A third push came and Rogue couldn't handle it anymore. She burst into tears and Remy took that as his cue. He swiftly repositioned himself so he sat at the head of the bed, along side Rogue. He gathered her into his arms and positioned her on his lap. She immediately cuddled into him and continued to cry in pain. Remy bought his hand up to cover the one of Rogue's that was holding the side of her head. The moment she felt his hand on hers she adjusted her grip so her fingers could curl around his.
Remy felt helpless. He didn't know what was wrong and more importantly, he didn't know how to make it better. All he could do was try and comfort her, if only to make himself feel better for at least trying to do something. A thought suddenly occured to him and tentatively, he lowered his psychic barriors and reached out towards Rogue's mind...
Rogue was too tired to do anything but flinch and whine a little when a forth push stabbed in her head. She didn't understand. Why wasn't the Remy in her head helping her? Or even replying when she called out to him? Maybe the Juli in her head was able to block him somehow...Or maybe she wasn't strong enough at that moment to support him...If that was the case though, would this pain never stop? She couldn't rest with it hurting so much, so how would she get strong enough to support Remy again? Thinking this brought on panic which seemed to only make the situation worse. The pain of each push increased. Worse still, she could tell the Juli was getting too far forward. She began to feel differently. Suddenly, Remy wasn't such a nice guy, killing people seemed easy and she was very interested in the belle fille that had been with him that night. Rogue would've blushed if she had been in her right mind.
However, as suddenly as the pain came, it began to fade.
Juli's presence didn't go but it stopped pushing. A blanket of soothing calm covered her and she perked up a little, a quick boost of energy also coming. The soothing sensation reminded her of of the one the Remy in her head had provided after she teleported on her own for the first time. It didn't feel like it was coming from inside herself though. It felt like an outside source seeping in rather than an inside source seeping out. The calm was so be that the actual Remy was the one helping her?
"Remy?" Rogue whispered tearfully once her sobs had stopped.
"Jus' relax cherie. Remy's got you covered." He assured her gently as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. Rogue let out a shakey sigh. She finally felt the presence of the Remy in her head and felt Juli's presence fade away, most likely being pulled back by head Remy. Everything was still and quiet for a while as Rogue forced her tears to stop completely. She eventually managed it and immediately switched to concentrating on her proximity to Remy.
If her cheeks hadn't already been flushed from crying, they certainly would've turned bright red when she realised their position. She was on his lap! His lap of all places! Okay, sure it was because she had been crying and in pain but still, his lap! Up this close, she could feel his warmth and his scent invaded her senses. Part of it was obviously cologne but there was also another part which was just all him; smelt kinda spicy, but not too spicy. She half-consciously leaned closer to him and gently gripped the edge of his trenchcoat. This was nice. She liked being close to him.
"Wha' happened?" Remy inquired softly, taking her slight movement as a sign she was feeling better.
"Juli was being a jerk." Rogue murmured quietly, feeling very embarassed about the whole situation even though it technically wasn't her fault.
"Not'ing changin' dhere dhen." He grunted as he let his hold on her relax a little now that she wasn't so distressed. A pause.
"They've got ya father." Rogue revealed eventually after considering how best to say it. She decided straight out honesty would probably be best.
"You're kiddin'?" Remy groaned, his head tilting back against the wall above the headboard of the bed. "Where dhey got him?"
"At their place in Louisiana." She informed sadly, the Remy in her head reacting to the news in much the same way as the full version.
"Stupide imbecile." He muttered angrily, the comment directed at his father.
"You gonna go after him?" Rogue inquired gently.
"Don' have much choice." He sighed unwillingly.
"Ah'm coming with you then." She stated.
"Marie..."
"No Remy." She said, cutting him off. "Lahke you said earlier, it ain't up for discussion. Ah've got Juli in mah head. Ah know what traps are where, Ah know where the security cameras are, Ah know mah way around the twisty corridors of the building. There's no way you'd be able to avoid the mines in the water and even if you did, by some miracle, make it insahde then you'd never fahnd your father before you were discovered."
"It gon' be dangerous." He warned her.
"Yeah, but it'll be way more dangerous for you if Ah don't come." Rogue countered.
"Fine dhen. We'll go toget'er." He sighed, too emotionally tired to fight a battle he knew he'd lose in the end anyway. He knew her coming made sense though. It would make the whole process a lot easier. Still, he didn't like it burdening her with his own problems even if she was the one who volunteered.
"When are we gonna go then?" She quieried.
"As soon as you fit enough and go' a good excuse to disappear for a day." He answered. Rogue simply nodded in reply. Her gaze moved onto the hand of Remy's which was visible to her and she saw his wrist watch. It was coming up to two a.m. She wondered if her absence had been realised yet. If it had, the others would undoubtably be really worried and out searching for her. A pang of guilt turned in her stomach and she knew what she should do.
"Ah think Ah should get back to the school nah." She told Remy quietly, unable to keep the hint of disappointment out of her voice.
"You sure you ready to ride again?" Remy checked, not making any move to alter their position. Rogue merely nodded. "All righ' dhen." He sighed. He gently shifted Rogue off of his lap and rolled off of the bed. He quickly straightened out his trenchcoat before assisting Rogue to stand. With Remy supporting Rogue, they headed out of the small apartment together.
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In Rouge's Head:
"Wha' dhe Hell was dhat?!"
"Oh stop being such a baby."
"Don't ever make Remy do somet'ing like dhat ever again!"
"Or what? What exactly are ya gonna do? You're just a part of a mahnd who can't do anythang withaht mah say so."
"You were jus' lettin' Juli do wha'ever he wan'ed! You were lettin' her suffer!"
"She coped."
"You're twisted."
"Resorting to insults now? That's really constructive."..."Look, you want her and the real you to get together don't you?"
"Dhat whole t'ing was totally un-necessary!"
"No, it was completely necessary! Marie may be radiating psychic vibes like no ones business but that alone ain't gonna make him fall for her. You know yourself. You won't turn away from someone who needs you, especially if the someone just happens to be a pretty girl."
"You crossin' a line dhough! You're manipulatin' bot' of dhem."
"So?"
"Wha' you doin' is wron'!"
"But it's for the raht reasons!"
"You're goin' too far."
"Do you want to lose her?! Do you want her to lose herself in a sea of other psyches?"..."Do you?!"
"No, of course not! But..."
"No, no buts. Ah know what Ah'm doin'. Remy'd forgive me for the influencing and so would Marie. Everthang will be fahne as long as you just keep doin' what you're told."
"An' wha' if Remy don'?"
"Then you'll ruin everyones lives and condemn Marie to insanity."
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Back With Rouge:
Rogue leaned heavily against the gates of the school. Her legs felt wobbly, her co-ordination was shot and all she wanted was to collapse somewhere warm and soft. Remy had dropped her off a short distance away at her insistance and from there she had walked. She had been fine at first but in a matter of seconds she had started to feel very drained.
Peering through on of the gaps in between the gate's bars, Rogue saw that there were still lights on in the school. Although that didn't definately mean that the others were up waiting for her, it did mean that some of the others were up and that would make it difficult for her to get to her room without being detected. Sighing with fatigue and dread, she moved forward, pushing the gate open as she went, continuing her way down the gravel path towards the school's entrance. She hadn't gone very far down the pathway before she tripped over her own feet and went crashing towards the gravel covered ground. However, a slim pair of arms came around her waist and saved her before she fell too far. Rogue twisted her head around and saw Ororo's face hovering just over her.
"Storm..." Rogue breathed. She thought she heard Ororo say something but she couldn't make it out. Her eyes were growing heavier and her awareness began to slip away until it was gone and she passed out.