stormfreak_patience4

This chapter gets a little R-rated, but since I can�t rate the chapters separately, I upped the whole story to a PG-13. Oh, yeah � and the X-Men ain�t mine. Neither is this song. This song is called "Waterfalls" by Paul McCartney. It�s a beautiful song, but very melancholy. Check it out sometime.

Patience, by stormfreak

Chapter Four: Love, Peace, and Waterfalls

"Don�t go jumping waterfalls

Please keep to the lake

People who jump waterfalls

Sometimes can make mistakes�"

Remy and Logan sat in the waiting room for hours before Adam came out of the emergency room. He didn�t even look at either man; he simply gestured to them to follow him outside. Once outside, Adam did something Remy had never seen him do: he took a pipe out of his coat pocket, lit it, and dragged deeply before speaking.

"Your wife will live, Remy. She has a few stitches in her head and her lower lip, some major bruises and a concussion, but she will be just fine. In fact, she should wake up any minute now."

Remy dropped his head. "Merci beaucoup," he whispered, truly grateful to God, the Bright Lady, Buddha, or whoever had spared his wife�s life.

"Doc?" Logan asked quietly. "I know this probably ain�t my business, and I shouldn�t be the one askin�, but�Ro was a month pregnant �"

Adam shook his head slowly and took another puff of his pipe before replying. "I-I�m sorry, Remy, but�your wife hit the water face down."

No�no, this can�t be�

"The internal bleeding was quite heavy," Adam continued flatly, as if reading from a book. "She took heavy damage to both her ovaries, and her right Fallopian tube was severed�we had to perform an emergency hysterectomy �"

"Doc," Logan interrupted, wide-eyed. "Are you tryin� to say Storm can�t have any more kids�ever?"

Adam patted Remy on his back. "I�m so sorry, Remy," he told the younger man. "Please believe that I did everything I could do to save her reproductive system, but it was impossible. With the height of the fall and the impact of the water combined with her loss of powers�she is very, very lucky to be alive."

Remy felt his entire body tremble. He tried to choke back huge, racking sobs. "Well, Doc," he spat bitterly, "at least y�can stop tryin� t�find an effective birth control."

"Remy!" Adam gasped, insulted, but Remy held up his hand.

"Sorry, Doc. I didn� mean it like dat." Just a week ago, he was trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was having another child. Now he would have to come to terms with losing it. Adam nodded and walked back into the hospital.

*

Ororo was already awake when Adam walked into her hospital room. "Well hello, darling," he said softly when her eyes fluttered open. "You took us for quite a ride this afternoon."

Pain ripped though Ororo�s whole body. She felt a string in her lower lip, and her stomach was in serious agony. She reached to touch it, but realized she couldn�t move her right arm. Her left arm was still mobile, though, and when she touched her lower stomach, she nearly screamed. "Adam, what has happened to me?" she questioned, trying to remember.

"Oh, dear. Well, I wasn�t there, but from what I have gathered from the police �"

"The police!?"

"Yes, dear. You took a nasty spill of the top of the waterfall. Don�t you remember?"

"I�I am trying. I was at the school, and then I was chasing Rogue. She was falling, and I tried to get her�"

"And you fell into the water. That�s about it."

"Rogue�did she fall into the water, too?"

Adam shook his head. "She hit the ground, Ororo. I�m sorry."

"Why are there stitches in my stomach, Adam?"

Adam ran his hand through his hair. "We had to perform a hysterectomy, Ororo. You lost the baby when you hit the water. I�m so sorry, Ororo. I did all I could." He sighed. "If you�d like, I can go and get your husband. He is here, and so is Logan."

"Please do." Ororo replied, her heart in more anguish than her body. Suddenly and savagely, she needed Remy.

*

When Remy, Adam and Logan had arrived at Remy�s, they found the waterfall surrounded by police, paramedics, and townspeople. The paramedics had arrived just in time to save Ororo from drowning, but Rogue had died the moment her body hit the ground, head first. Her mutant powers had saved her from becoming a blob of blood and flesh to be scraped from the ground. Her body had stayed solid enough to be placed on a stretcher and taken to a morgue. However, every major bone in her body had been broken, and there wouldn�t be a mortician in the world who could make her corpse presentable to a grieving public. It was Logan who requested that Rogue�s body be cremated; it would be much easier to transport her ashes back to Xavier�s mansion.

Remy had loved this woman, once upon a time. And he always thought that Rogue would always be the person she already was; a headstrong Southern belle who took no shit from anyone, Remy included. It pained him to think if the legacy she left behind; not as a strong, independent soldier for the fight for mutants, but as some crazy attempted killer. That�s not how he wanted to remember her.

Was she under a medical influence? Had she been drinking? Was she possessed?

"Gambit?"

"Oui?"

"You gonna be okay?" Wolverine asked. "I mean, not going to the funeral service and all."

"I-yeah, homme. I mean, I would go, I really would, but Ro is still unwell. Tell �em dat, explain �"

"Why? You don�t owe anyone an explanation, or anything else. You�re someone�s husband; your job is to stay with your wife and family, not watch your ex-girlfriend�s ashes get scattered."

Remy shook his head slowly. "I�I still don� understand�she didn� want me anymore, or at least I thought�"

"Don�t think about it. It�s only gonna screw your head up more." Wolverine pulled out a cigar and lit it. "Some things just don�t have an explanation, you know? Some people don�t realize how much they miss people until those people are gone. And then they go mad. That�s just the way it is sometimes."

"I know, but sometimes I t�ink�if I had never asked Storm to leave �"

"If you had never asked Storm to leave, Rogue might�ve killed herself over something completely different. Or she might�ve broken up what your relationship with Storm. Maybe y�all would�ve never gotten married; maybe you wouldn�t have four kids. Or maybe nothing would�ve gone wrong and everyone could�ve stayed friends. We�ll never know." Wolverine exhaled rings of smoke.

Adam appeared, clipboard in hand. "Remy, your wife�s awake."

"Gambit," Logan said, "I know it�s wrong to ask, but can I see Ro first? I know you�re anxious to see her, but I�d like to say goodbye before I catch my plane."

"Yeah, I guess," Remy replied. "I should go pick up my kids � Bibi�s got �em at t�school�" Remy fished his car keys out of his pocket. "Logan?"

"Yeah, Cajun?"

Remy took a deep breath. "T�ank you, for lookin� out fo� my wife an� my kids�I don� know why I didn� suspect, but �"

"Who would�ve suspected?" Logan replied. "You had no problems from the second you�ve left home. Why would you suspect that your ex-girlfriend was going to magically find out where you were livin� and come to kill your wife? Wouldn�t exactly be the first thought on my mind. Your mind was on your wife and your kids. And that�s where it should always be." He nodded slightly, and followed Adam into Ororo�s room.

*

"And I need love

Yeah, I need love

Like a castle needs a tower

Like a garden needs a flower�

He had never seen her look so weak in all his life.

Tubes were everywhere. One was in her nose; one in each of her arms, one in the back of her head and one under her hospital gown. A rock had hit her on the head, requiring 32 stitches. Her face was scarred, her left arms and hands full of abrasions, her lip held together by thread, but she was still beautiful.

She would live. Adam Hartley had convinced him of that.

Logan ran his hands though his hair and sighed. He didn�t want to see her like this, not ever. But this was his friend, one of his closest friends, and he had to do this. He walked over to Storm�s hospital bed, and stroked her snow-white hair until her eyes opened.

"Lo-Logan?"

"Hey, Goddess," Logan murmured. "I know you were expectin� to see the swamp rat, but he went to pick up your little ones."

Storm�s eyes grew wide. "My children! Are they �"

"They�re fine, Ro. No one was hurt bad, except �"

"Except for Rogue."

"Yeah."

Tears formed in Ororo�s eyes. "Oh, Logan. Is she really dead?"

"I�m afraid so. I�m sorry, doll."

Ororo shut her eyes, and tears streamed down her face. "I tried � goddess, I tried so hard to keep her from falling �"

"She was naked, Storm. You couldn�t have saved her if you tried �"

"But could I? Did I allow my own anger to cloud my efforts?"

"Storm!"

"What if I had shifted the winds to catch her instead of grabbing her hands? What if I had stopped her from flying off? What if �"

"What if nothing! Storm, this ain�t your fault!"

"But it IS my fault, damn it!" Ororo cried. "Logan, do not patronize me! I took Gambit from the mansion! I took him away from her � what was I thinking? I married him! If I had stayed and fulfilled my responsibilities to the X-Men instead of chasing after some silly wife-and-mother fantasy, she would still be alive!"

"Says who?!"

"Says me!"

"And then what? You still would�ve gotten ran over in the house, you still would�ve been second best until Ol� One Eye scraped his knee and needed to flee to Abu Dhabi, you still wouldn�t have a man or a life, and you still wouldn�t be happy!" Logan stopped, stunned by his own words, then lowered his voice. "Storm, you are happy, aren�t you?" He took her left hand into his, kissing her fingers. "Ever since you left, all I�ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. I thought I might�ve been the one to make you happy �"

"Logan!" Storm gasped, but he pressed two fingers to her lips.

"Let me finish. I thought I would be the one to make you happy, but I didn�t have what it took to land a goddess. Hell, I didn�t even have the balls to ask you out on a date." He chuckled. "But the Cajun did. And hey, to the victor go the spoils, right?"

"I suppose," Ororo responded, smiling.

"Does he makes you happy, Ro? Please tell me he makes you happy."

"Oh, Logan." Ororo sat up slightly, raising her body slightly. "I have been a thief, a goddess, an X-Men, a lifesaver, and a hero. But Remy makes me feel like a woman, a beautiful, desirable woman. And deep down, I think that is what all women want � to be desired." She paused, as I f in thought. " Oh, I do not wish to be gawked at like Jean or Betsy, but to be the apple of one man�s eye � especially if he is the right one�well, it is nice. Remy makes me feel whole, Logan; he completes me. And I complete him." Ororo laughed softly. "You and I would have never worked anyway, little man. The last place I could see you being happy in here in Zimbabwe."

"The same could be said for your swamp rat, but I won�t." Logan stood up. Bending down, he placed a kiss on Storm�s lips. They were still swollen from the fall, but just as soft and sweet as he had dreamed. He inhaled slightly, and he could smell her hair � like rain, fresh air, and clouds. "I love you," he found himself whispering in her ear, and stunned by the depth of his words.

Ororo took his hands and squeezed them. "And I, you, old friend." Her locked with his, and Logan his chance with her was over before it began. Her words were sincere, but her eyes lacked the sparkle that only Remy LeBeau could give her."Logan, there is a woman out there for you. All you must do is open your heart and look. And do not be afraid to take chances."

"If you say so, then I believe you." Logan stood back up, slightly shaken, slightly aroused. "I better go. Gotta stop by the mortuary to pick up Rogue�s ashes, and then it�s back to the U.S. Tell the Cajun I�m sorry I didn�t get to see him again, but I�ll visit, whenever you�ll have me."

"You are always welcome in our home, Logan." Ororo enforced, and sank back into the pillows and shut her eyes.

*

The lower levels of the school were in shambles. The entire A building would have to be built again from the ground up, from what Remy could see. So would the playground, and half of the B building.

He walked past the place where the kindergarten class has once stood � he couldn�t bear to look at it. Wandering to the minimally damaged D building, he found himself standing in his wife�s classroom. There were small trees in every corner, and flowers bloomed in the windowsill. Inspirational posters hung on every wall, reminding the high school students that they could be anything they inspired to be.

Remy sat down in his wife�s chair, looking at the framed pictures on her desk. There was the picture of their wedding day; him in his shirt and slacks and her in her blue dress and sapphire hair clips to match. A picture of young David Munroe and his future wife N�Dare had been a gift to Ororo from Adam. There was a candid photo of all four of their children, running and playing in the backyard. A third picture was of Remy holding David Jaffe up to his eye level, poking his tongue out at his laughing youngest child.

And then there was the fourth photograph. Ororo, Jean, Rogue, and Betsy, all dressed for a night on the town. Why had he never seen this picture? Remy picked it up and held it in his hands. How old was it? They all looked so happy, so carefree. Between Storm and Jean sat Professor Xavier with a pimp-daddy hat on his bald head, complete with a blue feather. The women were all in silly, sensual poses, with Storm blowing a kiss to the camera, and Jean pretending to poke her tongue in the Professor�s ear. Rogue and Betsy stood on the ends, their fingers over their heads like Playboy bunnies.

Remy noticed an empty box in the corner. He picked it up and began to carefully place the framed pictures in the box. Slowly, he made his rounds, taking down the posters and pictures. He wondered how long it would take for the school to fire Ororo. But would she be able to get a job at any other school? What if she was banned from teaching at any school in Harare? Or Zimbabwe for that matter?

"Remy?"

Remy turned around. Bibi Nwykau stood at the doorway.

"Evenin, m�aam." Remy sat the box down. "I was on my way to yo� house t�pick up my children, but I stopped to get my wife�s t�ings first."

"Why, Remy? Will she no longer be with us?" Bibi crossed her arms and stared at Remy quizzingly.

"Well, I-I-I thought dat wit� t�damage done to t�school �"

"Damages done by a tornado, Remy."

"Yes, but �"

"But nothing." Bibi placed her hands on her hips. "The damages were done by a freak tornado."

"Bibi, I appreciate what you�re doin�, an� I know my wife will, too. But you have too many witnesses dat will testify dat day saw Ororo cause dat tornado."

"And who will believe them, Remy?" Bibi laughed bitterly. " This is not a primitive African society, child. We don�t believe in witchcraft and little fairies that cause thunderstorms. There is a scientific explanation for everything �"

"Yes! An� t�scientific explanation is dat my wife is a mutant who controls t�weather!"

"And I could care less." Bibi crossed the floor and stood before Remy. "Your wife is an outstanding teacher, son. I would be a fool to fire her over a mistake I made. If I had not been so trusting, this�Rogue�person would�ve never been accepted to teach at Harare Academy. It is quite an embarrassment on my behalf. I have only been headmaster for the last two years, after all. I take full responsibility. And come winter break, I will step down as headmaster."

"Bibi, no. I can� let you do dat," Remy responded.

"Oh, you can�t, can you?" Bibi spun on her heel and walked toward the door. "You might be one of the fastest rising businessmen here, Mr. LeBeau � the one to replace Adam Hartley himself, from what I gather. But until December, I am still the headmaster of this school. And I say the damages were caused by a freak tornado that had nothing to do with the fact that your wife can control the weather." As she left, the elderly woman called over her shoulder, "You might be able to tell your wife what to do and what not to do, but I am not a slave to your wallet or your penis. Your thoughts and emotions could not bother me less. If you have a problem with my decision, you can take it to the Board of Education and try to have your wife fired."

"Yes m�aam. Bibi?"

"Yes?"

"T�ank you."

Bibi smiled. "You can thank me by coming to pick up your squalling brats."

*

"Yeah, I need love

Said I need love

Like a raindrop needs a shower

Like a second needs an hour..."

He had to explain in the car that Mommy had a small accident and was in the hospital. It didn�t take a rocket scientist to see that his school-aged children weren�t buying that, but they were silent anyway.

He had never mentioned that Ororo was pregnant � he had been saving it as a surprise for the day Remy was to return home and they all went out to dinner. He felt no need to tell them now; they hadn�t known of the fifth child, and Remy wasn�t in the mood to answer questions about what a miscarriage was.

Remy sat quietly as the children filed into the room, one by one, and talked to their mother. Ororo was calm, as usual, and answered all questions. Yes, she would be out of the hospital in time. No, Mommy wasn�t going to lose her arm; it would come out of the cast in time. Yes, they still had to go to school. No, Mommy didn�t know who the new teacher would be. No, Mommy didn�t know where Miss Sanford was. It was probably the first lie she ever told her children � they didn�t even believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

After about half an hour of question and answer, Remy shooed his oldest three children to the waiting room. Holding Deejay in his arms, he pulled up a chair and began to speak. "Bibi said you still had a job at the academy."

Ororo raised her eyebrows in surprise, but nodded quietly.

Remy sat in the silence. "Adam said he was gonna pay money for t�damages t�the school. It�s not dat bad, really. T�lower level buildings are shot t�hell, but t�C an� D buildings are okay �"

"Are you going?"

"Goin� where?"

"To Rogue�s funeral."

"What? No! I�m stayin� here wit� you!"

"Remy, you should go. You should go and pay your respects; say goodbye."

"Pay respects!? Fo� what!?"

"Because you are angry at a woman who is dead and cannot repair what she has done."

"Ro, are you drunk?" Remy demanded. "Dat woman was gonna kill you!"

"No, she was not. If she were going to kill he, she would have killed me at the cliff. She had the chance to. In all actuality, she saved my life." Ororo reached for her husband�s hand, and he took it. "When I touched Rogue, for just a second, I was allowed to look into her soul. Rogue was a very troubled young woman without a plan. She came here for vengeance, but she could not figure out what to do without hurting you. And for that, I am still alive, and our children are still alive." She reached out with her left arm, and Remy placed Deejay on her chest.

"Are you tryin� to tell me dat I should be grateful because she spared you?"

"No. I am trying to tell you that the Rogue that came after us was not the Rogue that we knew and loved. But whoever she was, she is now dead. You must make amends with her spirit. And you will be at that funeral because I am coming with you."

"Ohhh, you are drunk. Dere ain�t no way in Hell I�m goin, an� you must be nuts to t�ink you are!"

"What are you afraid of, Remy?"

What am I afraid of? "I�" He moaned and put his head on his wife�s chest, next to his son. "I don� wanna have to look at dere faces; see it in dere eyes. It�s why we left, isn�t it? To escape dem judgin� us?"

"Judging or no judging, attending the funeral is the right thing to do. And you know this, Remy LeBeau. And I am afraid that I must make amends as well. I need to make amends to make the nightmares go away."

"What nightmares?"

"It is of no concern to you." She stroked her husband�s hair as she spoke. "I want you to have peace, Remy, and I need it also. And for that, we must attend the funeral."

*

"Every minute of the day

And it wouldn�t be the same

If you ever should decide to go away�"

Remy thought about Ororo�s words long after he took his children home, long after he had tucked them all in and lay in their king-sized bed alone. He didn�t want to go, not for a second. But Ororo wanted peace. Peace for what? What has Ororo done wrong, other than loving me? And how much longer does she have to pay for that?

Unable to sleep, Remy thought about his wife. He remembered when he had been her guardian during the time the Nanny had reduced her to a child. He thought about the many missions they had gone on as X-Men.; about all the nights they spent partying and clubbing with the other X-Men. She had always been around him; they had been the best of friends. A downright inseparable pair. Logan had referred to the two former thieves as "Bonnie and Clyde," and the nickname stuck. Remy wondered when was it that he stopped seeing her as a fighter and began to look at her as a woman. It seemed to sneak up on him so suddenly, but he knew that his love for her was a gradual thing that had occurred over years.

He thought back to their wedding day. What fun they had, despite the hurriedness of the events beforehand. Neither one of them being a fan of tradition, they had dressed in the same room, talking and cracking jokes the whole time, hiding each other�s shoes or belt or cuff links. Storm had bypassed the traditional white dress for a long, silk, low-cut sky-blue sundress that matched her eyes and complimented her curvy figure. Remy had worn a dress shirt and slacks, no tie (Ororo had hidden it and wouldn�t tell him where it was). Ororo had picked Remy�s pocket for his keys and let him search for them for half an hour before she gave them back, making them late for their own wedding ceremony. But it had all been worth it. When the legal official (Ororo, being a non-Christian, had not wanted a religious figure) pronounced the pair as Mr. and Mrs. Remy Etienne LeBeau, he had experienced the happiest moment of his life. And he looked at her, and she was smiling. Not that small, contained smirk that she had used back at the mansion. Her real smile, on the other hand, showed her teeth, revealed the dimple in her left cheek, and brought light to her eyes.

Remy rolled over to the left side of the bed, where Ororo slept. The scent of sandalwood filled his nostrils and saddened his heart. He hated sleeping alone, without his wife in his arms, her soft breath against his chest. His mind drifted back to the first time they made love. Truly made love, he remembered with a small smile, as opposed to the twice-a-week mandatory gifts that Ororo gave him without complaint. It had been a full month after they had been married. She had come out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her waist, leaving her breasts exposed. Sitting upon the bed, she unscrewed a small bottle of brown oil and rubbed it on her body, from head to toe. It was the source of her sandalwood scent. Next, she took out an ivory-handled brush and began to run it through her hair, a part of her nightly ritual. He hadn�t known why, but that particular night she looked so beautiful, so radiant. He remembered looking at her and thinking, This is my wife. My heart. And he had walked over to her and taken the brush out of her hand and kissed her softly, causing a laugh to come from her throat.

"What is wrong with you?" she had asked jovially, reaching up and tossing a lock of Remy�s reddish-brown hair out of his face.

He hadn�t answered, simply sat on the bed beside Ororo and began to brush her hair slowly. It shone in the light, looking like the very clouds that had disappeared from the night sky. He took a lock of hair and began to twirl it around his index finger, and the softness of it sent a tingle through his finger that worked his way through his whole hand. He let his hands travel the course of her skin, smooth as silk and dark as pure chocolate. His tanned hands moving across her brown shoulders made quite a contraction, but a beautiful one. He heard her breathing slow down, become labored. He moved his hands from her shoulders to her breasts, and she had jumped, but did not discourage him. Rather, she turned her body to face his and placed a kiss on his lips, pausing to trace her tongue around his lips over and over until he nearly went crazy.

Remy had pulled Ororo on top of him so that she straddled his hips. She dipped her head low, kissing Remy with a passion that he knew she had but so rarely displayed. When their tongues were tired of jostling, he had looked into her eyes, and was stunned at what he had seen. Instead of the usual fear or slight disdain at what was to occur, he saw lust. Pure, animalistic hunger. She wanted him. And he needed her, more than he ever had in his life. He needed her because she needed him.

That was the night, Remy concluded, that Ororo stopped being a goddess and started to become a woman. Staring down at him as her hips rocked back and forth to some distant African rhythm that only she could hear, her normally soft alto voice had risen to a high-pitched cry of delight. Very, very, very high-pitched. She had strained at times, even paused once or twice, but for once she hadn�t stopped. She allowed Remy to place every inch inside of her, and he nearly died of pleasure when his hips finally touched hers and her body closed around him. Tight, hot, wet, swollen, soft, silken, and ohhhhh, so divine, he switched places with her so he could thrust himself inside of her, deeper and faster and harder until what was left of her voice had screamed his name and the sky exploded, as did he. He couldn�t stop whispering her name, over and over until it sounded like a song as he flowed inside of her for what seemed like an eternity. Later, when it was all over, she had pushed his sweat-drenched bangs off his forehead. In turn, he wiped away the tears that streamed down her face (though whether they were out of gratitude, pleasure, or relief, he still didn�t know). He had rocked her in his arms until her trembling body slipped into sleep and raging storm calmed itself to a steady downpour that Remy listened to until he fell asleep. That was the night she had let go of all her inhibitions. That was the night he knew he had married the right woman.

He thought he had given her peace then. Apparently, he hadn�t. Whether she had never had it, or whether Rogue�s presence in their lives had taken it from her, he didn�t know. But he knew when his wife was at peace and when she wasn�t. Looking into her eyes earlier that day, he saw all the anguish he had seen the day he asked her to leave the mansion, the first night they had sex, the day before her first day of teaching at Harare Academy, the first time she had to spank Ajita and James for drawing all over the walls. He hated that look. It seemed to cloud her clear blue eyes and take the smile away from her face.

But was he willing to go all the way back to New York just so his wife could bury a grudge?

TBC