| Disclaimer: I don�t own the X-men � DUH! Patience, by stormfreak Chapter Three: Truth and Consequenses The moment Remy looked out his window, he had laughed. He couldn�t help it. He was going on his first business trip this morning, and he expected anything to happen � Murphy�s Law and all � but this? This was ridiculous. "Oh, Stooooormy! Stoooooormy!" Ororo was sitting in the bathroom, brushing her hair. "What is so important that it calls for you to go bellowing that awful name?" she asked. But she already knew the question. "I was lookin� out de window, an� I noticed that it�s rainin� dis mornin�." "Yes? Your point?" "Today is Friday, Stormy." "And you are wasting my time because�?" "Because if it is rainin� on this day, the championship soccer match between Harare Academy and Wellington Prep will be cancelled." "No, it will not," Ororo replied, smiling. "The championship football match between Harare Academy and Wellington Prep will be cancelled. I do not believe they play soccer in this country." "Ro!" "What? Just because it is raining does not mean that I had anything to do it!" But her dancing blue eyes deceived her. "You lyin� t�me, woman." Remy lunged and grabbed his wife around the waist, lifting her high in the air. Ororo began laughing. "Put me down, you swamp rat!" She squealed as he carried her to the bedroom. "Put you down? Okay!" Remy laughed and dropped his wife on the bed. "Goddess, Remy! My head!" she screamed. "Have you forgotten that I am carrying your child � again?" "Oops." Remy lay next to his wife, lifting her camisole past her stomach and kissed her navel gently. "Sorry in dere!" He rubbed her stomach gently, rhythmically. Although there was a gene that was supposed to keep Ororo from having any lasting scars, he could still tell where Adam had taken a scalpel and ran it down his wife�s belly. it wasn�t that there was any noticeable line, just that Remy felt it underneath his wife�s smooth chocolate skin. Slowly, very slowly, he took his tongue and began to run it up and down the line. "Remy," Ororo murmured huskily. "You need to stop. Any moment, one of those little children of ours will be banging on the door, demanding to see their daddy." She ran her hands through Remy�s auburn locks. "We can continue this another time, when you return." Remy sat up. "You promise?" "Have I ever turned you down before?" Ororo laughed. "Lemme think � Jiji, James, Leila Jean, Deejay, other kid � nope, never." Ororo threw a pillow at her husband�s head. "I married an idiot!" "Oh, like you just now noticed!" Remy teased. Banging. "Daddydaddydaddydaddy!" "Mommymommymommymommy!" "Bahbahbahahhhhhh!!!!" Ororo gestured to the doors. "Do not look at me; those are your kids." "Ohhh, no; dey look like you." Remy declared as the telephone rang. " �Cept for Deejay. I�ll claim Deejay. But the others? I wan� a paternity test." "Oh, please! Remy LeBeau, you are � as my students would say � �my babiesdaddy.� Every one of those kids has you in them. Now open the door before they knock it down." Remy laughed, counted to three, and swung the door open. As he expected, they had been leaning against it, and James fell in first, followed immediately by Ajita. The second they stood up, they all began to babble � about the rain, about the game, about school, about orchestra, about anything and everything on their little minds. Mon Dieu, my life! Remy thought, as he tried to match voices with children. Next lifetime, I t�ink I�ll choose a quieter, calmer lifestyle than husband an� father. I know! Bomb defuser! I�ll be a bomb defuser! "Heeeey!" Ororo yelled over the din. "James, that was your football coach. With the rain, the game has been rescheduled to Tuesday. By that time, your suspension will be over, which will allow you to play in the match." She folded her arms across her chest and folded her eyebrows. "You do realize that you were very lucky, young man." "Yes, Mommy," James replied, trying hard to conceal his excitement. His mother was a firm believer in being humble at all times, but his eyes still danced. Remy couldn�t help it. He picked up a pillow and swatted his wife in the head. "OW! Remy!" "What?" he questioned innocently, using one of his son�s favorite lines. :"Dere was a fly." * Tuesday afternoon loomed bright and hot, not that there would be any doubt. Ororo sat under the shaded bleachers with David Jaffe in her lap. Leila Jean sat primly beside her, her hair hanging in a long rope down her back. Ajita was missing; she was in the final days of orchestra tryouts, but she would be present before the second half of the game. Ororo watched as her son, in full football gear and cleats, ran up and down the field with his father�s determination in his eyes. Although he was the youngest on the team, he was one of the best by far, and had earned his spot honestly. "Good afternoon, Ororo! Nice day for a good football match, don�t you think?" Ororo looked up "Oh! Good afternoon Adam. I did not know you were into football." "I�m not." Adam picked Leila Jean up, kissed her, and sat her in his lap. "But do you see that blonde kid in the red jersey � number 34?" "Yes, I do." "Well, that�s my grandson. A proud boarding school student of Wellington Prep, courtesy of his old grandpa." "Oh, I see," Ororo laughed. "Well, do you see the incredibly handsome little boy in the green? Number 12?" "Yeeees�" "That is my son, who will be playing for the winning team." "Ahhhh. Indeed he is." Adam leaned closer to Ororo and whispered in her ear. "You have to love those, come-out-of-nowhere rainstorms that are so common in the middle of August, you know, the kind that postpone games until certain little white-haired boys get off suspension." He winked at Ororo, who laughed. "You assume things, old man. And I am hurt." "S�cuse me lady, but is this seat taken?" "No, feel free to sit down," Ororo replied, too busy digging for a bottle for David Jaffe to notice the short, well-built man who sat to her right. "Word on the street is that your son is an awfully good soccer player, lady." "He is. I am quite proud of-" Ororo looked up, and found herself gazing into a pair of familiar gray eyes. "Logan!" "How are you, Storm?" The two stood up, and Ororo threw her arms around him. Tears jumped into her eyes and threatened to fall. "You look�well, beautiful. Motherhood has agreed with you quite nicely." "Oh, Logan!" She held up her youngest son. "This is David Jaffe, and that �" she pointed � " is Leila Jean. My son, the soccer star, is James Logan." "Logan," Logan replied, a smile creeping across his face. "Yes. And this is Dr. Adam Hartley, my physician." Adam stood up and gripped the smaller man�s hand. "Uh, Ro? Where�s the Cajun?" Logan asked, glancing around nervously. "He is away on a business trip. He will be back sometime tomorrow morning." Ororo�s eyes narrowed slightly. "You are asking for Remy? Something tells me you did not come for a social visit." "No, Ro, I didn�t. Although it�s great to see ya." " I suppose it would be best to ask how you knew where I was." "Darlin� " Logan laughed aloud. "You�re skin is black, your eyes are blue and your hair is white. You�re not exactly inconspicuous." "Well, that explains how you found me here, but tell me what made you wake up and say, �Ah! They are in Harare, Zimbabwe!� of all places in the world!" Ororo gave an exasperated sigh. "Did Jean tell you?" "No, although I wish she had been the one." Logan pressed his knuckles together. "I wish Gumbo were here so I didn�t have to explain this twice, but�" he reached into his small backpack and pulled out some papers, "I found these in the mansion." Ororo took the papers, shifting David to her left hip. A travel guide to Harare, Zimbabwe. A confirmation ticket for a flight to Harare. Reservations to a hotel in the city. Ororo felt her head begin to swim. She knew the answer, yet she had to ask the question. Some things needed to be said aloud. "Logan�where did you find these things?" "I found them in Rogue�s room. She�s left. I take it that she�s here." "Why?" Ororo whispered. " Why would she be here?" "I don� know, Goddess," Wolverine replied. "I wish I knew; then I�d be of some better help. I�d watch my back, if I were you. And I�d damn sure watch my kids," he added, gesturing his hand toward the playing field. "I-I-I will," Ororo replied, pulling David closer to her. "Do�do you think she would hurt my children?" "Ro, I won�t lie to you. I don�t know what the hell she�s capable of. Ever since you and Gambit left, she hasn�t been the same. At first, I figured she was just in a funk; it was understandable. But then, she started saying strange things, like �I wonder if they�ll get a divorce?�. I remember when Cyclops woke the whole house up one morning to tell us your twins had been born, an� she said. �Any chance one of them could die?� She would wander around the house, sitting in Gambit�s room for hours. And she trashed your entire room, ripping up things, killing all your plants and whatnot. Now this. Storm, I really don�t know. I know you think she wouldn�t hurt your kids because they are half-Gumbo, but remember, they are half-Windrider too." Goddess, no. Not my children, Bright Lady! Ororo panicked. Take me, but spare my children! "You say the Cajun�s out of town. I won�t inflict myself on you tonight, but first thing, bright and early, I�ll be takin� you and the kids to school." "Logan that is not �" Yes, Ororo, it is. She swallowed her pride. "Thank you, Logan. I know Rogue being here may or may not mean anything, but�I appreciate it all the same." * "I�m glad to see you made the orchestra, Ajita." "Thank you." Ajita took her head off her pillow, and reached underneath to pull out a slip of paper. The paper that her mother had read to her stating that she had made second chair violin in the Harare Academy Orchestra. "My mommy says that if I work a little harder, I will make first chair by Christmas." Leave it to Storm to see the dark side of every damn thing. "Sugar, that�s still amazing. You�re just a little girl, and you had to compete with big girls." She paused. "How is your brother?" "He�s okay, I guess. He�ll be better." Harare Academy had lost to Wellington Prep, 4-2. James had stripped his pads off and locked himself in his boys� bedroom, and hadn�t come out since. "Oh, he�ll be fine in a day or two. Winning ain�t everything, you know." "I know." Ajita pulled her knees to her chest. "Miss Sanford, why do you wear those gloved every day? It�s hot outside." "Sweetie, my hands were burned a couple of years ago. They�re really ugly-lookin�, so I wear gloves to match the clothes I wear." "But if you�re an angel, then your hands would be fixed, right?" "Oh, honey, not all angels are perfect. I can have ugly hands and still be an angel." Ajita thought. "Well, if they�re on you, they couldn�t be ugly," she decided. "Oh, bless your heart, you�re so sweet. Now I�d better go. Good night, sugar." "Good night." And Ajita watched as her angel teacher flew away. * "James," Ororo questioned quietly. "Do you feel okay this morning?" "Yes, Mommy," the small child replied dismally. "Promise me when you go to school, you�ll eat this morning, okay? I heard your stomach growling last night, child; I�m amazed it didn�t keep you awake all night." "Yes, Mommy." "Leila Jean, what is the matter with you?" "Nothing." And she giggled. My children, I swear. I have a son who will not eat, and a daughter who talks to herself at night. Please Bright Lady, do not tell me I have raised a ditzy giggler as well. "Tell me what is so funny, then." More giggling. "I can�t. It�s a secret." "Okay." Ororo couldn�t imagine what a three-year-old could possibly have as a secret, but whatever kept her children content. "Ajita has a friend," Leila Jean said. "Oh, really?" Ororo said, going back to her lesson plans. "That is nice. Does she go to school with Ajita?" "No. She�s a lady. She�s a pretty lady." "I see," Ororo replied, her brows knitting together. She must mean their teacher. Logan had walked in, and his eyes narrowed. He took a slow, deep breath, inhaling the scent of the air. "Leila Jean?" "Yes, sir?" "Tell me more about this lady." James�s head suddenly jerked up, just as Ajita walked into the kitchen. "Leila Jean, no!" But Leila Jean had an audience now. "She comes to the window at night, and Ajita talks to her. She�s pretty. She has yellow hair, and she wears gloves, and she�s an angel who can fly." An angel who can fly, who wears gloves�oh, my God. Logan turned to face his best friend�s son. "James!" he barked in a voice he rarely used. "Y-y-yessir?" "What color is your teacher�s hair?" "It-it�s blonde, sir." Logan folded his arms across his chest. "Storm. Take me to this boy�s classroom." * Rogue was tired. She lay her head upon her desk and shut her eyes. Her contacts began to shift, and she remembered that she hadn�t put any daily drops in her eyes. This would have to stop, or speed up, one. Rogue couldn�t do this anymore. The more she talked to Ajita, the more she grew to love her. Ajita was so much like Gambit, it hurt her heart to look at her. And Ajita loved James so much. She couldn�t take out James, no matter how much she wanted to do so. She had lost. In her own weakness, she had lost. But�what about Storm? Storm. Yes. The answer was so obvious, she cursed herself for being a fool. Storm, of course! If she got rid of Storm, she could move in on Gambit. If the children loved her, they would push her together. She already had Ajita, and Leila Jean liked her. Deejay was just a baby and James�well three out of four wouldn�t be bad. James would have to get over it. Storm, yes! She could kick her plan into high gear, at last. "It�s her." That voice. Rogue recognized that man�s voice. But she didn�t have time to put a voice with a name, because suddenly, she was eight feet in the air. The wind stopped, and Rogue hurled through space and landed on the floor. But the woman called Storm wasn�t done. "Cowardly witch!" she screamed, and Rogue�s body was airborne again. This time, she felt every shard of glass that passed through her body as she flew through the window, which she had forgotten to open. Not that that would be the end of it. Ororo was outside in a flash, whipping Rogue�s body through a hurricane. "Before you die � and you will die � you will learn to fight your battles with a woman, and stay away from little children!" "Ro," Logan called from the broken window, "you�re causing a scene!" But rage, compounded with six years of suppression was about to take its toll on a certain southern belle. And whether she would live to tell about it or not was all up to the weather goddess on the ground. * "My God! Is that a twister?" Adam Hartley�s BMW slowed down as he and Remy LeBeau stuck their heads out of their respective windows. "Looks like one," he reamarked. "An� it�s near de school." "The school?" Adam turned to face Remy. "Can�t your wife stop it?" "Stop it? Yes. But I t�ink the question is more along t�lines of �Did she start it?� Do me a favor? Drive to t� school?" * "Stoooooorm!" Logan had made it outside, but she couldn�t stand within fifty feet of her without being knocked to the ground. All around him, the wreckage of the tornado flew around his head. He watched in horror as the monkey bars uprooted themselves, flying and smashing into the side of a wall. From inside, he heard students of assorted ages screaming wildly. And to top it all off, Rogue was actually inside that twister. The bad news? He stopped hearing her scream quite a while ago. "Stormy! Oh, mon dieu, Ororo!" Wolverine watched as Remy sprinted across the school grounds toward his wife. But as Wolverine had learned, he could only get so close before he was swept off his feet and hurled backwards. He landed on his backside, about ten feet from Logan. Remy rubbed his head, then focused his eyes. "Wo-Wolverine?" "Fancy meeting you here, Cajun," Wolverine replied, and helped Gambit to his feet. "What de hell is goin� on, homme?" Gambit gasped. "What�s de matter wit� my wife? Why is she goin� crazy? Did somebody die?" "Not yet. Rogue�s inside that twister, though, sittin� down an� eatin� a meal wit� Death as we speak." "No!" Gambit took a few steps forward, but the winds were too strong. "Storm, no! Don� do dis!" Gambit turned to Logan. "Why would she kill Rogue?" "I dunno. Why do women do anything? Why is Rogue here, posin� as your kids� teacher? I tell ya, bub, I don�t understand women." As quickly as they had started, the winds stopped. A blonde-haired woman, whose eyes were now brown again, plummeted through space. "She�ll never make dat fall!" Remy cried, and took off running. He would�ve caught Rogue, too, if Storm hadn�t have seen him coming. As she did, though, she conjured a quick wind that blew Rogue�s body to the left, causing her to crash to the ground. Then she sank to the ground and placed her forehead to the ground, all energy gone. "Rogue!" Gambit cried, and knelt next to the woman. There was a large dent in the ground, but Rogue was alive. Superhuman strength was good for something after all. "Remy?" Rogue asked weakly. She lifted her head, but barely. "Remy?" "Rogue!" Gambit whispered. "What t�hell are you doin� here, chere?" Her tight, clipped voice was gone, all masks uncovered. "Ah-Ah came t�get ya back, sugah," she murmured. "Ah�Ah thought that if Ah could get your kids t�like me, then ya�d have me back �" "Rogue! I couldn� do that unless �" Remy�s blood ran cold. "Were y�gonna�Rogue, were y�gonna kill my Stormy?" "No! Well, yeah�I don�t know; I don�t know what Ah was doin� � Ah know that now. But Ah jus� wanted t�be close t�ya, t�have somethin� t�do with one of yours � Remy? Remy, where are y�goin?" Remy had dropped Rogue�s hand, and was walking away. "Remy! Remy, don�t!" "Don�t what!?" he screamed. "You don� get it, do you? It�s over! Y�wanted it t�be over, an now it is, an� y�don� wanna see dat! And now you wanna hurt me more! Why, Rogue? Why were y�gonna kill my wife? You could�n come after me!?" He grabbed his hair, pulling like a man possessed. "You�re sick! You�re fucking sick! Just go! Go, an� leave me be! I don� care where y�go; just go!" "Remy!" Rogue cried. She struggled to her feet; felt the world spinning, but she could still stand. "Remy, please! Ah love you!" The words cut through Gambit like a knife. How dare she? How DARE she!? "Like y�tol� me once, chere, �You�re honest with the people you love; otherwise, it�s a gamble.� Well, y�gambled. And y�lost. So now, y�go home, an� y�leave my wife and my children alone. Otherwise, if Ororo doesn�t kill you the next time � " his eyes flashed � "I will." And with that, he walked off. Away from Rogue, toward his wife, who had stood up and was walking around in a small circle. "Ororo," he said breathlessly, taking her face in his hands. "Remy?" Ororo replied. "When did you get here?" "A short while ago." He kissed her, then looked around. "Mon Dieu, Stormy; t�school is a wreck." "I know," Ororo dropped her head. "You know, I though that attacking Rogue would make me feel good, but�is has not. I destroyed an entire learning institution; I put innocent lives in danger, Remy. I put my children�s lives in danger, and all over silly bullshit!" Tears streamed from her face, and she fell in Remy�s arms, sobbing. "Don�t feel bad, Storm," Wolverine replied. "You did what any mother would do � well, if any mother could control the weather." He looked around. "No one seems to be hurt, but I�m gonna go hunt up your kids." Logan began to stride off, but a sonic boom ripped through the sky and knocked all three people to their feet. "What the hell was that!?" he yelled. "I�m sick of falling on my ass all day!" Ororo tilted her head to the sky. Only one thing caused sonic booms, and that was when an object in flight went faster than the speed of sound. Without thinking, her eyes went white, and for the first time in six years, Ororo LeBeau was airborne and gone. And another sonic boom rocked the sky, much louder than the first. * It�s over. It�s over. He won�t take me back � oh, my God, it�s over. Faster. Fly. Get away. Remy won�t have me, and once Wolverine tells the X-Men what I was planning, they won�t have me either. I have nothing. No one. No one to love me. Faster, girl, faster! You heard the second boom; she�s after you! And why? To rub it in my face some more? "Go away, Storm! You�ve won! He�s yers, an� I cain�t eva have him back! Ah see that now! Just leave me be, please!" "Rogue!" Don�t listen; don�t listen to her voice; even though she�s never lied to you before, fly away; away from the voice�"Rogue! Do not do this! We can talk � we can work this out! Everything will be okay!" Work this out? Is she crazy? Rogue couldn�t think clearly before, but damn it, she had a plan now. * Storm felt as if every atom in the world was ripping through her body. She was exhausted, and losing ground fast. Still, she couldn�t give up. Faster, she willed the wind. Take me closer to this poor, confused child! Why in the world is she taking her clothes off? * The air felt wonderful. It flew through her hair keeping it out of her face. I see why Storm flew around naked all these years! Too bad I�ll never do this again. But for this, my final flight, I�ll go all out. She saw her destination. She wanted to hurry and get there, but she didn�t want to overfly it, and risk the chance that she would have to reverse her flight and come head-to-head with Storm. Patience. Rogue. You�re almost done. it�s almost over And she flew on. * Oh, Bright Lady, no. She saw the water before she saw the cliff. Although Ororo had lived here for six years, she didn�t recognize the land from above. She had been in the waterfall, but never above it. Rogue was already there. Standing naked on the cliff, she stretched her arms out. The mist sprayed across her bare skin, and she was smiling. Laughing. Maniacally. "Storm!" she screamed. "Ah know you hear me! Ya tell that fucking swamp rat that Ah did love him! Ah�d have given my life for him! An� Ah�ll love him foreva, from t�hottest corners of Hell, an� Ah hope ya neva have any peace with what was originally an� foreva mine!" And with that, she was off the cliff. Storm adjusted her flight downward. Oh, is this all? she thought, genuinely relieved. My goodness, this was dramatic. Remy jumps this cliff every morning. Rogue can swim. She�ll hit the water, but she won�t drown. The water is too deep for her to strike her head, and she�s too proud to � Oh, Goddess. Oh, sweet Goddess. I am dreaming. Bright Lady, tell me my vision is wrong. And she willed the winds to move her faster. * She�s coming. Just as I thought she would. Damned do-gooders; so predictable! The air was whistling through her ears so loudly, it began to hurt. But it didn�t matter. it would all be over soon. She�s coming. Good. Let her come closer. She wants to save me so badly; let�s see what a good job she can do! She saw Storm�s body, then her eyes, full of concern. Then she felt Storm�s hands reach out � her whole body extended as far as it could go � and grab her wrists. But briefly. Very briefly. Then she heard the screaming. Then she felt the power. For one bright and shining moment, Rogue knew exactly what it was like to be a weather goddess. She could feel the power of the weather pulsing through her body. She could make tornadoes, snow, hail � anything the sky could make was now at her command. But more importantly, she knew what it was like to be Mrs. Remy LeBeau. Because Lord knew she would never see it any other time. She could see his eyes looking into her own, feel his lips as they traveled over every spot on her body, hear his laughter as he cuddled closer to her. And to be honest, that is all she had ever wanted. And all it had taken was a little patience. She could kill Storm, if she wanted to. But she wouldn�t. She thought it would make her happy, but it wouldn�t. She had loved Storm at one point in her life, and killing her would not bring Rogue any joy. She couldn�t kill Storm any more than she could have killed her children. She had Storm�s memories to accompany her to her death. And because of that, Rogue would die happy, after all. Storm could have her life back � if she survived the fall. She was falling much faster than Rogue was. With Storm�s powers pulsating through her veins, she conjured a wind that blew Storm�s body away from hers. She was unconscious, but Rogue sincerely hoped she would survive and be safe. Remy loved Ororo � Rogue saw this now, and despite everything, she did want Remy to be happy, even after Rogue was gone. Good-bye, Remy, I loved you, I really did! But I can�t live with myself � not anymore� Rogue smiled with relief as she watched Storm�s body plunge into the water. And she was so happy that she didn�t even feel her own body slam into the earth. TBC |