TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
Rogue restlessly shifted in bed, its familiar security absent as baleful dreams haunted her drowsing form. "How dare you," she sleep-talked, rolling from one side to the next, subconsciously seeking comfort that could not be found. "How dare you..."

She was unaware of her audience. A man observed her constant movements, hands balled into fists in an effort of self-restraint. Angry red eyes were locked on her, hatred blazing in their depths. His need to offer solace was almost overpowering.

The hatred was directed at himself.

He recognized the words she uttered by heart because they plagued him too: "How dare you violate me like that!? You mentally raped me! Your justice's lef' me pregnant with a new personality -- an' the exact one Ah wanted ta get to know like a real, normal woman!"

When a cry rang out, his determination faltered. Crouching, he carefully removed a stray, auburn curl from her tear-stained cheek. He then hovered dangerously close to soft, pale skin. He remembered its feel well, from both pain and pleasure. Skin he could not touch and could not resist.

The sharing of flesh was impossible and the sharing of mind had nearly destroyed them both. Her flesh, his mind. Where did that leave them?

"Home? You ain't got no home, sugah. Not with me... not with the X-Men. Fend for yourself. You seem to have done a good job of that in the past."
"But... I love you."
"You're honest with the people you love, Gambit. Otherwise... it's a gamble."

Where did that leave them? Nowhere. He had gambled and lost.

"Do de crime, pay de time." His involvement in the Morlock massacre, albeit as an unwitting party, was a mistake he would pay for the remainder of his days. The sentence being a lifetime without his lady-love and their...

A whimper escaped Rogue and he flattened a palm against her abdomen. He made a shushing sound. "Now, now. No more bad thoughts. Sleep. Sleep de rest of de angels. In peace."

The strain of her face eased somewhat at his gentleness. Encouraged, he pressed on, "Dat's it, chere, relax. You're safe now. Nothin' bad's gonna happen to you. Gambit swears. Not again. Never again."

Never again would the he permit the demons of his past to become hers. The weight of his conscience was his and his alone to bear.

The flutter of lashes warned him that she was on the verge of waking. Risking his presence a second longer, he whispered in farewell, "It's time to move on. To be happy. To live."

Rogue roused at the goodbye. She wrested herself from slumber's grasp, peered about the dark interior and attempted to see what was not there.

A cool breeze glided in from an open window. Open window? Had she left it ajar?

With a low groan, her bedroom door gave way and the hall light slanted inside.

"Can't sleep?" Logan asked.

"I woke you, didn't I? It's becomin' a habit. I'm so sorry."

Her contrite tone earned a dismissive wave. "Don't apologize. Most things keep me up."

A brief silence elapsed. His concerned visage begged to be told if she was alright, but he did not voice the question. If anyone knew about tormenting ghosts, the Wolverine did - sometimes they took a while to vanquish, sometimes they were adamantine. So, he comprehended and accepted her desire to think things through before discussing them with others. He would not push and she appreciated it. She appreciated him.

Still, Rogue wanted to end his worry. He did not have to worry for her. Not anymore.

"I had another dream. About what went down in Antarctica. This one was different from the others..."

She trailed off a moment, engrossed by the memory.

"It was Remy. It was almost like he was here... with me... tellin' me everything was goin' to be okay. And, you know what?"

Logan inhaled sharply, keen senses detecting the most minute of details. "What?"

She gave him a brilliant smile and, not for the first time, he thought her to be breathtakingly beautiful. "He was right. We are goin' to be okay."

A reply was slow in coming. He walked to the window and gazed outside. When he spoke, he made no mention of the shadowed figure sprinting across the mansion grounds, "Yeah, darlin'. You are."

Closing it, he turned back to Rogue. Noting her confusion at the action, he explained, "We can't have you or the tyke taking a chill now, can we?"

The mother-to-be patted her well-rounded stomach. "We were enjoyin' it. The fresh air was sorta nice."

"Tough," he said, half in jest and half in seriousness, and strolled to her bedside. "The two of you aren't getting sick on my watch." He proceeded to tuck her in. "Get some shuteye."

She reminded, "Lamas class tomorrow. Don't forget."

As he exited, Logan promised, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

She got the humor behind the statement. Last week an alien race had tried to invade and dominate the planet and, because of this, he had missed her class. Understandably so. The life of an X-man was never dull.

Amendment: The life of an X-man was never dull... unless it was a pregnant one. Lamas and Hank's poking and prodding were all she had to look forward to as of late. Well, she looked forward to lamas at least, which was ironic in itself since she had initially quarreled about participating.

"Why in tarnation do I need to pay someone to show me how to breathe? If I can handle a slug from the likes of Juggernaut, I can handle givin' birth. Women who ain't nigh on invulnerable, mind you, have been doin' it since the beginnin' of time."
"Have you forgotten who the child's parents are? You should be prepared for absolutely anything, Rogue."
"Point taken."

She should have known better than to argue with a genius.

The baby kicked, bringing her back to the present. "You get that from your daddy," she teased. Receiving another kick, she soothed, "Don't fret yourself none 'cause daddy's goin' to be home soon. Momma's goin' to see to it."

During the early part of her pregnancy, she had traveled all over in search of the MIA Cajun. As her due date neared, the excursions had dwindled. She was now homebound (except for the occasional, necessary outing) and frustrated, but had every intention of continuing the search when able. He could not hide from her indefinitely.

Rogue's smile remained intact as her lids drifted shut. Instead of past horror, she dreamed of future possibility. The possibility of a man, woman and child - a family. A family with no secrets and no regrets, only truth and consequences.

Her family was going to be just fine, idiot swamprat included... whether he liked it or not. After all, there was no happily ever after without the prince. The prince of thieves, that is.

THE END
Author's Note: I have taken a couple of liberties with this ficlet, a follow-up to Uncanny X-men #350. 1) Did Rogue and Gambit have intercourse when held captive? Likely not, however, I will say yes for the purpose of my writing; and, 2) Is Rogue capable of becoming pregnant and lasting to term without complication? This appears to be the case in Age of Apocalypse, so I will say yes here too. My story, my rules... please do not e-mail or review with corrections. I am not an X-authority, but am pretty sure there are no major blunders.

By the way, I realize that everyone and their grandmother has written a post-UXM #350 fiction... just chalk this up to my lack of originality.

Thank you for reading.
BACK    E-MAIL    NEXT
RETURN TO THE INDEX