Well, here's story number 4 in my ever expanding epic. For anyone who's read them, you should know what's going on. If you haven't, I've written four interconnected stories called (in order) "Stolen Kiss", "Lost Inside", "A Level of Treachery" and now "Fragile". The first story was set just after X-Men #41 and diverges widely from continuity after that.

At any rate, enjoy this latest attempt at chronicaling the lives of various assorted X-Men. The characters are all owned by Marvel and I'm being a horrible thief by nicking them.

If I could be a king, even for a day,
I'd take you as my queen;
I'd have it no other way.
Then our love would rule
this kingdom we have made.
You'd think I'd be a fool
wishing for the day
(that I could change the world)

Eric Clapton - Change the World
 
 

Remy LeBeau, the mutant named Gambit, cursed with each step he took, the shock of jogging coming up through his sneakers and his tired body, cramping the muscles in his legs and abdomen, irritating the mostly healed wound in his chest. His arm, recently out of a cast, ached. Sweat soaked his forehead in spite of the cool, overcast weather and he was sure he smelled like a locker room, but he kept running.

I am goin' t' get back in shape if it kill me!

He paused mentally, waiting for an answer, and sighed regretfully when none came. It was nice to have privacy in his thoughts, but he missed the constant company of another person's awareness connected to his. He even missed riding backseat in someone else's body, though he had no regrets about gettin ghis own body back, even if it was just a clone. He still needed to completely adjust to it though, considering the body he'd last been in had been a woman's.

Gotta get used t' peeing standin' up, he thought ruefully, Though I ain' gonna miss fallin' into de bowl in de middle a de night. He grinned at the memory, though he hadn't come close to smiling at the time. Rogue had thought he'd never stop yelling. She would have laughed at him if it hadn't been her butt he'd gotten all cold and wet. I mus' be de only single man in de world who never leave de seat up.

Remy laboured up a hill, wheezing like an old man. He was only five miles away from the mansion he and the other X-Men lived in and he had a lot more to go before he reached Salem Centre. Not that he thought he'd make it anywhere near that far.

I swear, I gonna turn around an' take a cab home. I mus' be nuts!

He gasped in frustration, but he could hardly be surprised he was so out of shape, considering everything that had happened. The Cajun's red on black eyes stared at nothing while his thoughts turned inward again.

It'd started about a year ago, in Isreal, when all the X-Men were convinced they were going to die, victims of an alien, crystal wave. Remy still remembered seeing it coming, freezing the stars, the moon, the sky; all in a perfect, crystal imitation.

That was when Rogue kissed him. Months of her pushing him away whenever he tried to get close, then she kissed him, catching him completely by surprise, but not unwilling.

Remy's lips twitched as he crested the hill only to see another one ahead of him. Rogue said she remembered the wave hitting her. Remy didn't. He'd been gone before it struck, Rogue having sucked him dry. Every thought, every memory, every power, all drained by her mutant abilities. Then the wave vanished and everything was back to normal. Except for Remy himself. He'd been told he'd been in a coma for six months, until his body finally succumbed and died. His first memory after that was of waking up as a resident in Rogue's mind, an invisible hitchhiker with no form of his own.

It had been the strangest experience in his life. Being half of a woman while remaining very much a man inside. He'd even been nearly destroyed once, losing himself among the memories in her mind. Rogue herself saved him that time.

Eventually, of course, he got a body for himself again. A clone provided by Mister Sinister in return for him betraying the X-Men. Remy pushed the thought away. He didn't like thinking about what had happened. The wound in his chest was from then, as was his present weariness. The clone he was in hadn't had much chance to exercise. The only good thing about the debacle was the fact that he'd now gained an immunity to Rogue's absorption powers. His body shivered with pleasure at the thought of the beautiful woman waiting at home for him. Rogue was almost insatiable, now that her passion wasn't limited by her powers.

Gotta love dose southern w'men, he thought. Dey bred wit' fire! He grinned mischeviously. Breed wit' it too.

Chuckling between gasps, trying to ignore how watery his legs felt, Gambit jogged on towards Salem.

"Ow, merde, damn..." He muttered to himself.

The cab drove up to the front door of the mansion and stopped. A moment later, Remy LeBeau dragged himself out, tossed a folded ten to the driver and staggered up to the house.

Every inch of the Cajun's body ached, protesting vehemently the punishment he'd forced upon it. He was almost shakng as he went inside and climbed the stairs from the lobby.

Anybody... who jog... willingly... be crazy. I can'... b'lieve dat Jean... do dis ev'ry mornin'.

Feeling positively ancient and wondering he she should maybe relax like he was supposed to, Remy headed for his room, ignoring the looks he got on the way. Warren raised an eyebrow at the sight of him and Storm shook her head. Fortunately, he didn't meet Beast. The doctor would have given him hell for going out and Gambit had no desire to be yelled at by someone who used words he himself couldn't pronounce.

"Honey, I'm home," Remy mumbled as he went into his room. The bed was made, the door to the bathroom closed. Faintly, he heard the shower running.

Grumbing to himself, Remy took off his jacket and bent over with a groan to untie his shoes. He was sure he heard a pop when he straightened up again.

"Ow..."

"Hah, Remy, honey."

Remy turned around and smiled. Rogue was standing by the bed, her long russett hair with the white streak through it dripping onto her shoulder and the silk kimono she wore. Her red on black eyes, a mirror of his since she first kissed him, twinkled as she smiled seductively.

"Y'all look tired, sugah. Enjoy ya run?"

Gallantly, Remy bowed to her and almost couldn't get up again. Oh, merde. I ain' got no energy left.

Rogue's lips pursed into a pout. "Y'all were gone when ah woke up. Ah missed ya." Her sweet, southern drawl sounded like honey to him. It alway had and he found himself grinning wider.

"My apologies, cherie. I jus' wan'ed t' get a li'l run in b'fore breakfast." His stiff walk almost gave away how sore he was. "Now, if you will excuse me, ma petite, I wan' nothin' more dan to climb into dat tub in dere." He moved to walk past her.

"Nothin'?" She reached up to slip the kimono off her shoulders and it spilled into a puddle of silk at her feet. Laying down on the bed, she looked up at him. "Can't ah change ya mind?"

Remy looked at her for a moment, then, from the rate he stripped off his clothes and leaped towards her, decided that he wasn't completely out of energy after all.

Remy woke to the wonderful sight of Rogue naked. She was standing in the centre of the room, sunlight glistening upon her gorgeous skin and shining hair.

He smiled. Ah, ma cherie... Come back t' bed...

A minute later, he woke up enough to realize she was gettin dressed in her green and yellow combat uniform, pulling on her boots, grabbing her leather jacket from the back of a chair.

"Hey!" He sat up. "What you doin'?!"

Rogue smiled at him. "Sorry, sugah, but ah have a mission ta go on. Ah have ta get ta th' Blackbird raht away. Ah did plan ta wake ya and say goodbys, though."

"But, where y' goin', chere?"

She knelt by the bed and kissed him. "Ah have ta go, Remy," she whispered. "They're goin' ta brief us in th' air. Ah'll be back in a few days." She kissed him again. "Ah love ya."

Then she was gone, the door swinging shut behind her.

Gambit lay in bed for another second. Why dey not take me?

Leaping out of bed with only a slight twinge for the day before, he grabbed his clothes. Yanking them on, he ran for the hangar.

He was too late. The Blackbird was already lifting through the hangar doors and away, two men watching it go.

"MERDE!" Remy thundered as he skidded to a halt beside them. He turned to the closest. "Why didn' I get called for dis mission?"

Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, regarded him calmly. "Beast felt that you weren't ready for combat. I agreed with him."

Sulking already, Remy looked at the other man. "Why you here, Bishop?"

"Someone has to guard the mansion."

"Great. You don' even t'ink I c'n do dat." He stormed back towards his room. "An' it started out as such a good day."

It'd been a month since Rogue left with the others. A long, boringly empty month.

Gambit lounged on the couch, staring at the television without really looking at it. He was tired of television, tired of doing nothing but exercise, or doing nothing at all. Inactivity wasn't something he could ever get used to. As long as he could remember, he'd always been up to something. The only time he'd stop would be when he slept, and he did that as little as he could. He needed action, thrived on it. Needed noise and movement. To have otherwise was to be alone, empty, to be forced to dwell on all of the mistakes he'd made in his life. It was only when he was with Rogue that he could have silence and not be haunted.

Where is she? You t'ink she be back by now.

Bored, Gambit stood and walked to the elevator that would take him to the underground levels. Down there was the Danger Room, War Room, Ready Room and transport to the hangar, as well as the medical bay and recovery rooms. It was the Ready Room that interested Remy, with its computers and communications array.

He stopped outside the door, though. Most of the X-Men had forgiven him for helping Sinister, realizing that he had no real choice, but that didn't cover the fact that he did help him. More, Sinister was the one who'd provided him with his new body. He may have left boobytraps of some kind in it. As a result, Gambit had the lowest security rating in the mansion. He couldn't even use the Danger Room without Storm, Cyclops or the Professor there to monitor him. If he tried to step into the Ready Room for any reason, he'd set off every alarm on the grounds. He'd probably get electrocuted as well. He wasn't too sure of that, though. He hadn't actually tried it out yet.

Yet. Gambit smiled as he tapped the buzzer. I mus' be nuts.

The door opened, but Gambit still didn't go in. He could see a faint blue light in the doorway, a forceshield that wouldn't let him by.

Guess Cerebro don' like people wit' negative security clearances, neh?

He looked though the door. Inside, the room was wall to wall screens, with extensive computer and communications equipement. A chair waited before each door, but in the centre was a device that looked like the skeletal balls NASA used to spin pilots and test their equilibrium.

Professor Xavier hung suspended in the device, his head covered by a helmet that was in turn connected to the largest computer. It was Cerebro, used to detect mutants and boost telepathic powers. It was arguably the most powerful computer on the planet, and the Professor was able to reach almost anywhere in the world with it.

Gambit looked at the Professor and sniggered.

The device turned and Xavier looked at him. "What is it, Remy?"

"Uh..." Remy sniggered louder. "Any word from- any word- Did you know dat you look like a great big spider in dat?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow. It only caused Gambit to laugh harder, slapping his knee in mirth.

"No," Xavier told him coldly, though Gambit could barely hear him, he was laughing so hard. He could barely breath, his stomach was knotting up and his chest ached, but he couldn't stop. "I haven't heard anything yet," Xavier told him, his face expressionless.

Suddenly, the laughter was gone and Gambit had no idea what had made him start. "Oh, okay." Emberassed, he all but fled. Once he was out of sight of the Ready Room, however, he stopped, leaning weakly against the wall.

What de hell jus' happen t' me?

Quietly, Gambit sat on the roof, not feeling the shingles under him as he stared up at the moon. It was a harvest moon, deep and full. It was big, too, and looked so close that he felt that he could almost touch it. Rogue could, he knew. She could just fly up and grasp it. He envied her. He missed her.

"LeBeau?"

Gambit glanced over his shoulder to see Bishop leaning out the attic window, looking at him.

"Oui, Pup?"

He saw the big man's face twitch into what could almost be called a smile. In the future Bishop had grown up in, the Witness had called him 'Pup'. It amused them both, but the Cajun had no idea what the other man got out of it. For himself, Gambit had started calling him that because Bishop was such a big man that 'Pup' just didn't describe him. Besides, when he was being especially stiff, Remy got the urge to rap him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. Somehow, he didn't think it'd be such a smart idea to tell him that though.

Gambit chuckled and shook his head at the thought. "What is it, homme?"

"Dinner. You turned your communicator off." The tone in his voice showed what he thought of that.

"Oh?" Gambit took the palm-sized device out of his pocket and stared at it. "Sorry 'bout dat." He let the communicator tumble out of his hand. It flashed in the moonlight as it rattled down to the edge of the roof and over to the ground below. He listened until he heard it shatter on the pavement. It made an interesting sound.

Behind him, Bishop was silent for a long time. Gambit, staring at the moon, had almost forgotten he was there before he spoke again.

"Remy, why did you do that?"

The Cajun shrugged. "Je ne sais pas. You see dat moon, mon fils? It be beautiful, oui?"

"It is." There was a hint of caution in Bishop's voice he'd never heard before. "Will you come inside now?"

Instead, Gambit stood up and balanced on the edge of the peaked roof. The main walkway of the house was right below him.

"I been t'inkin', Bishop. You know what I been t'inkin'?"

There was no answer.

"Bishop?" Gambit turned around, the heel of his left foot over the edge. "You know what I been t'inkin'?" Bishop's eyes were narrowed, his attention seemingly elsewhere. "Talkin' t' de Professor?"

Carefully, Bishop climbed out of the window onto the roof. "Yes," he admitted.

#Gambit, will you please come inside?# The words sounded inside his head, as clear as if the Professor were right there.

"Not now. Know what I t'inkin', Bishop?"

"No, I don't."

The Cajun turned around again. "I been t'inkin'. When Rogue an' me first kiss, she got all my powers. Got my eyes too."

"Remy, please come away from the edge."

"So maybe I got Rogue's powers too."

#Remy, stop!#

He heard Bishop move as he spread his arms.

"I bet y' dat I c'n fly."

He stepped off the roof.

Gambit twisted desperately as he fell, trying to grab the edge of the roof.

Oh, my God!! The thought was as loud as the Professor's mental shout in his mind.

The edge of the roof was only inches away, too far for him to reach. It seemed like everything was happening in slow motion as his fingers came so close to the edge, one finger even brushing it, but not close enough.

Then Bishop was there, half diving off the roof himself as he reached out to grab him. For an instant, he thought that Bishop was going to miss too, one horrible, endless moment when he saw his own death, his body broken as badly as the communicator he'd dropped.

Bishop caught him. His fingers grabbed his wrist and suddenly his downward fall was halted and he slammed against the side of the house, his newly healed arm almost dislocating at the shoulder in the process.

The Cajun screamed, one piercing wail of pain. Then his boots were scrabbling against the plaster and his other hand was grabbing Bishop's arm, trying to pull himself back up to safety, to get the weight of his own body off his injured arm.

He stared up at Bishop, his eyes wide, and saw a determination that, if anything, calmed him. The other man would go over himself before he let him fall.

"Bishop," he whispered.

Bishop's teeth were bared. Half off the roof himself, he tried to pull them both up with one arm. "I won't let you die," he said, a mantra. "I won't."

He heaved, and slowly Gambit was lifted up. Vagually, he was aware of Xavier outside below them, but he didn't speak telepathically, no doubt afraid to break their concentration.

The two men were one being, existing for one purpose- to reach the roof. Focused on Bishop's face, on Bishop's words- "I will not let you fall."- Remy ignored the terrible pain in his shoulder, the empty air below him, and let go. Held up only by Bishop's grip on his wounded arm, he reached up, stretching, and grabbed the edge of the roof.

Touching it broke the spell and he screamed again in agony. He didn't let go, though. Instead, Bishop did. Releasing his arm, which flopped uselessly down by his side, he grabbed the back of the Cajun's jacket and pulled him to safety.

"Safe," Bishop gasped. "You're safe... Crazy, stupid... Promised you... wouldn't do that again... Yes, Professor... yes, he's alive..." He leaned back on his elbows. "He's alive."

Gambit ignored him, lying on his stomach along the peak of the roof, eyes closed, just breathing. It was shaky, broken by the occasional, swallowed sob, but it felt so good. Inhale, exhale, lungs expanding and contracting, arm throbbing. It all felt good. It was life, a life he'd nearly lost many times, but never by his own hand. Never.

Never again.

Without a word, Bishop stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and watched the Professor fill a hypodermic needle with a clear fluid. Squirting a little out to get rid of any air bubbles, he moved his hoverchair over to the bed.

Gambit's arm was already prepared, bared with the inside of the elbow swabbed with alcohol and a vein stroked to the surface. Carefully, Xavier inserted the needle and pumped the liquid into him. Gambit sucked in his breath as he did so, but he didn't say anything. He just watched as the Professor removed the needle and disposed of it. Then he started to blink, his eyes closed and his breathing deepened into sleep.

Xavier turned back to Bishop and sighed. "That will calm him. Come, we should let him rest."

Bishop followed him out of the room, shutting off the light behind him. Looking back inside, he saw what little light got past him fall across the Cajun's face, turning his hair silver. Bishop's jaw tightened and he quietly closed the door.

#Will you join me in my office, Bishop?#

Suddenly, Bishop realized he was still standing outside Gambit's room, staring at the door. Squaring his shoulders, he went to join the Professor.

Xavier was making coffee, and he waited until Bishop was seated and they both had mugs before he spoke.

"You were on the roof with Gambit. Do you know what happened?"

Bishop sipped his coffee. He didn't want to talk about this. It touched on too much that was private to him, but he was a soldier. He had to obey.

"He believed he had Rogue's powers. He was trying to fly to the moon." He winced at how stupid that sounded, but Xavier only nodded.

"I wasn't able to connect to him fully, his shields were too strong. But I could feel his mental state. Until he stepped off the roof, he had no idea what he was doing." He looked at him over his mug. "Any thoughts as to why?"

Bishop blinked. "Excuse me?"

Xavier sighed. "Bishop, of all of us, you've known Gambit the longest. You were raised by him. Have you ever known him to do anything like this before?"

Bishop's eyes closed and he remembered. Remembered the Witness, the man who'd raised him, with his scrawny, undernourished body, long gray hair and red on black eyes.

"Bishop?"

"When I first met the Witness," The words came slowly, haltingly. "I didn't know what to make of him. He could be cold, then warm in a heartbeat. He was always unpredictable. My sister was better at reading him than me." He sighed at the memory of her.

Xavier, however, knew that wasn't all of it. "But?"

Bishop's sigh deepened. Suddenly, the room felt too small, too closed in. He wanted out, but he had to satisfy himself with standing up and going to open the window. He took his time, but when he turned back, Xavier was still waiting for him. It didn't help at all that his face was sympathetic.

"I realize that this is hard for you, Bishop, but I need to know."

Bishop all but sank back into his chair. "I know that, sir, and I'm sorry." He set his cup aside and was all business again. That was easiest. "LeBeau- The Witness," he corrected. Xavier nodded. "would have... episodes."

"Episodes?"

"Yes." Somehow, once he got started, it wasn't as hard to say as he'd thought. "It was as though he would lose all grip on reality, and I could never tell when they'd happen, what he'd do or how long they'd last. They happened rarely at first, but as he got older, they came more often. My sister and I tried to help him, but finally-" He hesitated. Here was the hardest part. He'd never spoken of this with anyone, not even his sister, who'd been there. "Finally, we had to have him committed." He fell silent.

Xavier didn't say anything, his silence compassionate, but both of them knew he couldn't be silent forever.

"Many mental disorders," Bishop tried not to wince at the words. "Are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain that can be controlled by drugs. Didn't they have any effect?"

"They did. But he had to be on them all the time and the drugs were hard to get. Every time he went off them, and he hated to take them, the attacks came back stronger. Shard and I tried to help, but-"

"I'm sure you did everything you could. Don't blame yourself."

Bishop looked straight at him, his back straight with a pride he didn't feel. "Professor, I loved my father. He was old and bitter and sarcastic, but he was always there. He kept me fed, he taught me to read and he guarded me when I slept. Sir, the last time I saw my father outside the institution, he didn't know who I was. He was wandering though knee deep snow, talking to himself. It was 20 degrees below zero and he was naked. Sir, my father was 98 years old!" He took a deep breath. He was getting emotional, this would never do. "There are very few facilities for mutants in my time. The only mental institution that would take him was the one in the main prison. So I had my father locked up with murders and thieves with the worst powers imaginable. Professor, Fitzroy was in that prison. So was Mountjoy. The last time I saw him, right before I came here, I could barely recognize him. The doctors had diagnosed him with incurable senilescence. There was barely enough left to be my father. I always believed I hated him for the things he did, for the dangers he put himself and us into, but none of it was his fault. I hated myself for giving up on him." His final words were thoughtful.

He took a deep swallow of his now cold coffee. Xavier did the same, but he didn't give him long to taste it.

"How did you feel when you came here?"

Bishop shrugged. "I was stunned. He was younger than I was and so- healthy. But I thought he was responsible for the X-Men's deaths, so I turned on him, even though I had no proof."

Xavier tilted his head to one side, regarding him. "Perhaps blaming Gambit for our murders helped you to justify what you did to the Witness."

Bishop opened his mouth, blinked, and shut it. This wasn't something he'd considered. None of it was. He'd never looked at his feelings for the Witness before, but now the Professor's words forced him to. He'd committed his father because he was sick, then only visited him once. He'd been withered and blind, half naked, his kinetic powers pouring out of him uncontrollably. He'd been dying and all Bishop could feel in his presence was disgust. Yet now he wondered if the disgust was for the Witness or himself.

"I...suppose so," he admitted slowly. "At least I did."

Xavier nodded. "True. You have certainly gotten over your hatred for him. How do you feel now?"

Bishop had already told so much, he could only admit the truth. "We're complete opposites, but I believe we're becoming friends. I hope we are. Yet on some level, I still see him as my father. I think I always will." He stared out the window, uncomfortable with his admittances. "Professor, why ask me all this? What does it matter what my feelings for Gambit are?"

"Well, it certainly gives me a level of insight into his psyche I didn't have before. More importantly, it let you brings things out into the open." Bishop looked at him. "You are going to be strongly affected by whatever happens to Gambit. You'll be able to help him more if you know where you stand."

Bishop leaned back in his seat, staring at his cup. "Which brings us back to the main problem, which is that history is repeating itself." The next words were hardest of all to say.

"My father is losing his mind."

Gambit stared at the big red pill in disgust.

"What dis for?"

Bishop stood expressionless, his arms crossed. "It counteracts chemical imbalances in the brain."

The Cajun started for the door. "Well, give it t' someone else. I don' never need no drugs." That wasn't entirely true. Without that shot the Professor gave him last night, he didn't think he'd ever have been able to get to sleep. With it, he'd been able to wake up with everything that happened just a distant memory.

Bishop stepped between him and the door. "Take the pill, LeBeau."

Defiant, Gambit put his hands on his hips and sneered at him. "Make me," he taunted.

The next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back on the floor, his skull still reverberating from the impact. Bishop was sitting astride him, his knees holding his wrists down and rendering his powers useless.

I didn' even see him comin'! Remy thought desperately. He tried squirming, but Bishop weighed too much and he had no leverage to throw him off.

Without a word, the big man grabbed him by the base of the jaw and squeezed. Pain forced Remy to open his mouth and he dropped the pill in. Then Bishop clamped his mouth shut, forcing his head back, and with surprising gentleness, considering how rough he'd been so far, massaged his throat until he swallowed involuntarily. The bitter pill went down.

Bishop got off him, his face still expressionless. "Now, every morning, I am going to give you one of these pills, and you are going to take it. If you don't, I will repeat what just happened. Do you understand?" There was no gloating in his voice. It was merely a simple statement of fact, and it was that honesty that helped keep Gambit from blowing up in his face.

Remy sat up unsteadily, wincing as he touched a hand to the cherry-sized lump on the back of his head. "Why I get de feelin' dat you done dis b'fore?"

"Once or twice." Bishop got an icepack from the fridge and knelt down to hold it to the back of his head. Remy let him.

"I'm not crazy, Bishop," he told him.

Bishop hesitated just a little too long. "I know."

Remy took the icepack from him and went over to sit by the window. It felt cold in the room. "So, how long I gotta take dese t'ings anyway?" He looked at Bishop, who was staring at the floor. "Bishop? When can I stop?"

"You can't." He sounded empty.

"Hehn?"

Bishop looked at him with that same lack of expression on his face he'd had when he helped him down from the roof. "You have to take those pills for the rest of your life."

Anger flared. "Bullshit! How you know dat? No one 'xamine me. How you even know dese be de right kind a' pills?"

"Because those are the same drugs the Witness was taking."

If Gambit hadn't already been sitting, he would have fallen down. De Witness?! Mon dieu, mon dieu, dis can' be! I can' be goin' mad! Not de rest a my life!

His eyes felt wet and his heart was beating fit to burst as Bishop grasped his shoulder. His face was sympathetic, an expression Remy had never seen on him before.

"Did-" He licked his lips. "Did de Witness ever stop takin' dem?"

"Occassionally."

"What... happen t' him?"

"He would get sick."

"Sick how...?" He whispered it.

Bishop's grip tightened. "Like you were last night."

Gambit closed his eyes. "Mon dieu..." He rubbed his face vigourously, dragging his hands throught his hair. "I so glad Rogue not have t' see dis, at least." His laugh was hoarse-sounding and it didn't last long. "Why dis happenin' t' me, Bishop?"

Bishop let go of his arm. "I don't know. Professor Xavier thinks that maybe something went wrong when you were cloned."

"Oh." He closed his eyes again, arms wrapped around his drawn-up knees. He didn't even remember sitting that way. "Pardonez moi, Bishop, but could you leave, please? I need t' t'ink."

Bishop left the room and Remy began to shake, from fear and despair both.

Oh, Roguie, he thought. How I need you wit' me now.

Gambit ran exhuberantly across the Danger Room floor, now mimicking a ruined city, yelling all the way.

It been too long since I done this! Mon dieu, I want to play! And forget the last few days as well, he didn't bother to add.

He raced around Bishop, who turned so that he kept facing him, then darted in and grabbed his gun from his holster, his reflexes just a little faster than the black man. He danced back out of reach.

"Catch me if you can, mon ami!" He ran off through the ruins.

Not surprisingly, Bishop didn't chase him, instead just standing where he was with no expression on his face. Trying t' make like he let me take de gun. Silly Pup.

#Gambit,# the Professor said telepathically from the control booth. #Please be serious.#

"Aw, you two no fun! Gambit jus' havin' a li'l fun. Been cooped up too long."

#Then perhaps this will help get rid of some of that excess energy.#

The air between the two men shimmered and a thirty foot tall hologram of a Sentinal appeared.

"HALT, MUTANTS."

Gambit and Bishop both moved, racing on random paths before the robot could get a lock on them. They headed for each other, and as they passed, Gambit tossed Bishop his gun. Zigzagging across the street, he dropped several cards into his hand from his sleeve and charged them. Spinning in mid-motion, he hurled them at the robot and changed direction, bolting to the side as the robot staggered under the force of his explosions.

Even though he couldn't see him, Gambit knew Bishop was at the other end of the block, just as he knew where the robot was. It was a subtle kinethetic sense he had, a mutant ability that let him know where all moving objects around him were. It was less flashy than his explosive powers, but it'd saved his life more often.

Safe for the moment, the Cajun ran around a corner and stopped. Leaning against the wall of a bombed out building, he wiped the sweat off his face and breathed heavily.

Mon dieu. Dis worse dan jogging. Closing his eyes, he inhaled as Bishop battled the Sentinel two blocks away.

"Don' worry, Bish," he gasped. "I be dere in a minute." They moved farther away. "Jus' gotta get my breath back."

#Gambit,# the Professor projected. #I would suggest you move.#

"In a minute." He shifted from one tired leg to the other. He couldn't sense Bishop or the robot at all now.

#Remy!#

The building he leaned against exploded. Thrown forward with the rubble of it, Remy caught himself on his hands and looked up to see the Sentinel pushing its way through the devestation towards him. His mouth gaped open in shock, then he scrabbled to his feet and ran for cover.

"HALT, MUTANT."

How it sneak up on me?!

Dodging laser beams, Remy had almost made it to the next building when he sensed a second Sentinal behind it.

Dere only s'posed t' be one in dis program! He changed direction again, racing right throught the barrage of the first Sentinel as he tried to get away from where the second could catch him in a crossfire.

"Remy! What are you doing?!"

Somehow, Gambit managed to avoid being hit, then abruptly sensed another robot before him. he couldn't see it, but every instinct he had said it was there, as real as the building. Then there was another, and another, and more, until he couldn't sense the air between them, there were so many. Mon dieu!

Clutching his head, he dropped to the floor and the program shut down. He could still sense them though, even with the room empty but for Bishop as he ran to his side.

"Say 'ah'."

"Ah-uh-waa..."

Bishop watched quietly as Xavier pushed down Remy's tongue with a depressor and shone a light on the back of his throat. Remy's eyes flicked towards the big man, but otherwise he made no acknowledgement of him.

Finally, Xavier finished his examination, the second he'd made that week, with the same results.

"Phyically, there's nothing wrong with you."

"Seems I hear dat one b'fore."

Bishop shifted. "What about the pills? Haven't they worked?"

Xavier sighed. "I think the pills are working, which may be the problem." Both men stared at him. "I was in contact with Remy telepathically while he was in the Danger Room. There was none of the disorientation he'd had on the roof."

Gambit looked openly confused as Bishop frowned, considering a thought which didn't appeal to him. A reason why the Witness had always yo-yoed on and off the pills, even though he knew that they were all that maintained his sanity.

"The medication is affecting his powers, isn't it?"

Gambit looked like he was either going to be sick or start cursing as Xavier nodded. "It seems that way." He turned to the Cajun. "I want to send you to Muir Island for more testing."

Remy had been sitting with his head in his hands. Now he lifted it and glared at him, his red eyes blazing.

"I am not goin' halfway 'cross de world t' be a 'xper'ment in some scientist's lab!"

"Remy, you're not being reasonable."

"Don' wan' t' be reasonable. I ain' goin' noplace 'til Rogue get back." With that, he hopped off the examining table and stormed out of the room.

Xavier looked annoyed, but he didn't try to stop the young man. "We'll have to experiment with different medications until we find one without these side effects."

Bishop's expression didn't change. "We can't," he told him. "In all the time I knew him, this was the only combination that worked at all."

It wasn't that unusual a thing. Mutant physiology was often very different from normal humans, so no one would be sure how they would react to even the most ordinary drugs. Most of the time there was no effect at all, but Bishop had seen Archangel start having his skin flake off from an ordinary flu shot. For himself, aspirin was a violent diurrhetic. It made treating mutants very difficult, since there was no standard for consistency.

"I once almost lost the Witness that way," Bishop added as he turned to leave. "He went into convulsions because I grabbed a pill where one compound was slightly different." He looked at him coldly. "I will accept a medicine change only from the Beast. Until he gets back, Gambit takes the pills he's already on."

He left, half afraid the Professor would call him back and dress him down for his demeanor. But he treated him like the Cajun and didn't say a word.

The pain hit him sometime around midnight, coming out of nowhere like someone had thrust three or more knives into his side. Gambit woke from a sound sleep to leap halfway to the ceiling, tangling in his blankets and bouncing back onto the bed.

"What de hell?"

Already the pain was fading, leaving him to wonder if he'd really felt it or if this was another sign of madness. The skin on his side was unmarked. Remy groaned, trying to push it all out of his mind as he rolled over to go back to sleep. But the bed was too big, too empty. It made him think of Rogue, of how much he missed her.

Remy sighed. I don' even know where y' be, chere. Why you stay 'way so long?

It'd been six weeks since she and the others left, six weeks since they had communication of any kind. Remy sat up on the edge of the bed. That made it two weeks since the roof, and a week since the Danger Room.

At least I be gettin' back in shape tryin' t' fight Bishop off. It was disconcerting to always have the big man waiting for him in the morning with a pill, no matter how hard he tried to avoid him.

Grimacing at the memory of the last time he'd been pinned to the floor, Remy grabbed a robe and headed down towards the kitchen. On the way, he saw the door to the Professor's office was open and the light on. He looked inside.

Xavier lifted his head. "Good evening, Remy. I thought you had gone to bed."

Remy shrugged and walked in without asking. "Professeur, have you heard anyt'ing from de other X-Men?"

Xavier sighed regretfully and put his work to one side. "No, I haven't, Remy." Gambit bit his lip. "I've tried to contact Jean telepathically, but the psychic interference around the Savage Land is too-"

"De Savage Land?!" Excitement filled the Cajun. "Den you know where dey are! Bishop an' I c'n get de Blackbird an' go find dem!" He started for the door. Rogue...

"Remy, wait." Gambit stopped and looked back at him. The Professor looked uncomfortable. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Gambit felt his heart sink with suspicion. "Why not?"

"One more X-Man isn't going to make a difference, Remy."

"Two X-Men, Professeur, two!" He held up a pair of fingers for him to see, walking up to the desk. "Bishop an' me both, or ain't I an X-Man no more?"

Xavier sighed and steepled his own fingers. "Remy, I think that, for medical reasons, you-"

"MEDICAL REASONS! I am not sick! Get dat t'rough your head! I don' need rest, an' I don' need pills, an' I don' need t' be protected when Rogue be in danger!"

Xavier only shook his head. "Remy, I won't even discuss your not taking your medicine. As for the rest of it, we already know that the pills have affected your powers. I won't risk you."

"Why not?" Remy grumbled under his breath. "You risked Rogue."

He heard a step behind him as Bishop came into the room. No doubt summoned telepathically by the Professor when he became upset. It only made the Cajun madder.

"Why you abandonin' de X-Men?!" He yelled, his fists clenched.

"Calm down, Remy," Bishop said. "The Professor hasn't abandoned anybody."

Remy half turned to look back at him. Bishop didn't look so impressive in pajama bottoms and a robe. Then again, neither did he.

"He don' want us t' go after de X-Men!"

"I know."

"You know?!"

"Yes. The Professor has kept me fully briefed on the situation. We know the X-men are alive. We just can't contact them yet."

The rage of being left out, of being ignored, filled the Cajun. To be seen as helpless, to be treated as an invalid, incapable of even handling what was going on...

His hands began to glow, throwing off coloured light that sparked as it fell to the floor. It was an intimidation trick, one he'd learned soon after his powers manifested. All he had to do was call on the power and hold it steady.

This time, however, something went wrong. He let the power grow, but when the time came, he couldn't stop it. It kept growing, expanding, burning up his forearms in its need to be released. The fuschia coloured light brightened to yellow, then white, so brilliant in its intensity that none of the men could stand to look at it. An ominous hum filled the air.

"Gambit!" Bishop yelled. "Stop it!"

The Professor had realized in the same instant as Remy that something was going horribly wrong. "Bishop! He's lost control, he's going to explode!"

Gambit cried out in agony as the energy leaped into his shoulders and the robe he wore, charging the material. He tried to pull it off, but that only made it charge faster, along with his own skin. His anger was long gone to fear, and desperation.

I gotta get outta here 'fore I blow us all up! He tried to run, but the light was too bright for him to see where the door was.

#Remy, try to control it!#

I can', Professeur! I'm sorry!

Suddenly, Bishop grabbed the Cajun's hand.

"Pup, no!"

Gambit tried desperately to pull away, but the bigger man only grasped his other hand and pulled him to his chest, which was bare.

Without warning, the energy had somewhere to go. Bishop's mutant power was to absorb kinetic energy and redirect it for his own use. Now he drew in the out-of-control power of the Cajun, dropping the light spectrum around them slowly back to normal. After his initial attempt to pull away, Remy clung to him, pumping the energy out in one long, glorious, welcome release. Man to man. Father to son. Bishop took it all, without protest.

Finally, it ended. The two men stared at each other for a moment, then Bishop released him. Exhausted, Remy stumbled backwards and all but fell into a big, overstuffed armchair. In that instant, it felt more comfortable than the softest bed to him.

"Merci, Bishop," he whispered wearily. "Merci beaucoup, mon ami."

"You're welcome," Bishop replied evenly as he put his robe back on. He looked as vitalized as Remy felt drained.

Slowly, Remy looked at the Professor. "So, was dat the pills, or I be goin' loopy again?" The words came out edged with bitterness.

"Your mental state was completely normal."

"Terrifique." He closed his eyes for a moment, and may actually have dozed off before he spoke again. "I can' be doin' dis."

"Doing what?"

He opened his eyes, staring at nothing. "Dis. I don' take de pills, I walk off de roof. I take dem, I almos' blow us all t' hell. I can' keep wonderin' if it be m' mind or m' body dat gonna betray me next." He glanced at Bishop. "What de Witness decide?"

Bishop frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"De Witness. Did he decide t' lose his mind or his body?"

He looked down. "He alternated between taking the pills and not."

"Did it work?"

"He wound up losing both."

Remy swallowed something hard and heavy that seemed to have come up into his throat. "Fuck," he whispered. "What I gonna do? I can' not take de pills, 'cause you won' let me, and I can' have de Pup here wit' me all de time t' be sure I don' blow de mansion off its foundations."

Bishop cleared his throat. "I have a solution to that." He looked back up at Remy, their eyes meeting. "But you're not going to like it."

Remy just hunched down in his chair and waited for it.

The eggs sizzled in the pan alongside bacon as Bishop popped bread into the toaster. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see the Professor enter the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning. You're eating late." Bishop normally ate before the sun came up.

Bishop started pouring orange juice. "This is for LeBeau. He tends to skip meals when he's upset." He paused. "Or rather, he will." He shook his head at the peculiarities of time travel.

Xavier smiled. Bishop was usually all soldier, either cold or angry, but rarely compassionate. Watching him interact with Remy, Xavier saw a completely different side of him. A human one.

"You care for him very much, don't you?"

The toast popped up and Bishop began to butter it. He barely glanced at the Professor as he transferred the food to a portable warming tray with a cover. "Didn't I already say that, Sir?"

He went past him and out the front door. Cerebro had detected Gambit leaving the mansion an hour before and now placed him on the dock near the boathouse. Usually, Gambit could slip by the mansion's sensors with little effort. There was something sad about the fact that he couldn't anymore.

It took Bishop only a few minutes to walk to the dock. The tide was in, waves lapping gently on the shore. Remy sat on the edge of the dock, his long hair blowing softly in the breezes, giving brief glimpses of the Genoshan inhibitor collar he wore around his neck. It was an ugly thing, bulky, orange, and Remy looked different with it on, like all the fire had gone out of him. He didn't even look up as Bishop set the tray down beside him.

"I brought you breakfast."

Remy stirred. "Bishop, who am I? I be a mutant, but I don' got no powers no more. I define m'self wit' my mind, but I gotta depend on drugs for dat. I don' know who Remy Etienne LeBeau be no more. I did when Rogue be here. I always know who I am when I wit' her. But now I afraid dat I never gon' see her again, an' dat I lose m'self too." The words all came out in a rush and he was silent again.

Bishop sat beside him, not sure what to say. The Witness had always avoided talking about himself, no matter how he was pressed. Remy looked surprised that he'd spoken too.

"The drugs will keep you from losing yourself."

"Yeah, sure, but if I don' take dem, I turn into a total fruit loop. Dat's a real bitch."

Neither man spoke. Remy stared out across the water, his chin on his palm, elbow on knee, Bishop beside him with his hands folded in his lap. Minutes went by, leaving Bishop feeling strangely content.

Remy's nose began to twitch. "Dat be bacon an' eggs, Pup?"

"Yes."

Gambit grabbed the tray, flicked the cover off and dug in. At least none of what happened had affected his appetite, Bishop noted.

The Cajun finished his breakfast and leaned back with a sigh of contentment. "Mon dieu, dat hit de spot."

Bishop pulled a bottle of pills out of his pocket and held it out to him. "Then these should hit the spot as well."

"Aw, fuck, Bishop!"

#Bishop, report to the Ready Room at once.#

Bishop started at the sound of the Professor in his mind. "I have to go back to the mansion." He set the bottle down on the dock. "Take one of those," he told him and started away. Hesitating at the foot of the dock, he looked back. "Please," he added.

Gambit watched the big man jog to the mansion, idly rubbing his neck. The collar was heavy and uncomfortable. It pinched and he could feel a rash developing where it rubbed up against his skin.

Forget dis noise! I ain' wearin' dis t'ing!

Unlocking the collar, he twirled it on one finger as he reached for the pills. Bishop had said please, after all.

Homme gonna have me jumpin' t'rough hoops. He grinned at the thought, then cursed as he knocked the pill bottle over the edge of the dock.

Gambit watched the bottle sink to the bottom. "Oops. I wonder if Bishop believe me when I tell him dat dis be an accident?" Oh well, one day wit'out dem won' hurt me.

Gripping the collar tightly so that it didn't end up sinking too, he looked towards the mansion, even though it was hidden by trees.

I wonder what dey doin' in dere? He leaned back against one of the pilons that held the dock up and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Prob'ly plannin' on what funny farm t' send me to.

He chuckled and used his powers to light the cigarette before he remembered they were going haywire. Nothing went wrong, so he shrugged and started smoking.

It was a beautiful day out, the sky clear, the air fresh and birds singing in the trees. A rabbit nibbled on grass at the base of the dock. It was all perfect, and that perfection made him ache for Rogue and what they'd once had together.

Oh, chere, I miss you. He felt inside himself for her, and sensed nothing. Her touch on his soul was only in his memories, but his heart beat with adrenaline at the need to be with her, to be one with her again. He'd actually managed to put thought of her aside for most of the last week, but now that he was coming to terms with his health, she was back, stronger than ever, demanding that he join with her and entwine their two souls together.

Gambit lay back against the sun-warmed wood of the dock and closed his eyes.

"I give m'self t' you, chere," he whispered. "You know dat. We're one." He let the collar tumble into the water to join the pills as he raised his arms skyward. "I'm jus' waitin' for you t' come back an' make us whole again." He giggled. "Oh, yes, I be right here for you, ma cherie."

Bishop entered the ready room to see the Professor pulled up to the Communications array.

"What is it, Sir?"

Xavier started adjusting the controls. "The X-Men made contact with the mansion a few minutes ago." Bishop started. "They were cut off by interference, but I think I've corrected that- yes, here they are."

The large screen before the Professor cleared and Bishop found himself looking at Cyclops, one of the co-leaders of the X-Men. He was bedraggled and dirty, with a two week growth of beard, but he looked healthy. Behind him, Bishop could get a glimpse of Beast, Cannonball and Archangel.

"Scott," Xavier said, his voice showing his joy at seeing his students. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. Is everyone all right?"

Cyclops frowned. "Mostly. Professor, you'd better set up the Danger Room as a maximum strength holding cell."

"What happened?" Bishop demanded.

Cyclops shook his head. "The mission was fine. But when we were preparing to leave, Rogue went insane." Bishop reared back in shock and even Xavier looked surprised. "She smashed the Blackbird and flew off. It's taken us this long to repair the damage and catch her. As it is, Logan had to stab her last night to stop her."

Xavier gasped and Bishop had a vivid impression of how Gambit would react to that. "She isn't dead, is she?"

"No, but it's taking Jean and Betsy both to hold her." He leaned forward. "Professor, she's completely irrational. None of us know why."

Xavier folded his hands together. "Scott, the same thing happened to Gambit."

This time, it was Scott's turn to look surprised. There was a commotion, and suddenly Beast's face appeared on the screen.

"Would you please repeat that, with greater attention to detail?"

Bishop stood silently as Xavier explained about everything that had happened to Gambit, trying not to think about it as the Beast's face grew more and more excited.

"Oh, ny stars and garters," he said at last. "This is the first case I've ever heard of regarding mental symbiosis."

"Mental WHAT?" Three voices said together, echoed by a few more on the Blackbird.

Beast exhaled excitedly. "Mental symbiosis. We had believed that Sinister's experamentations with cloning and thought transfers seperated them completely, but they must still be linked mentally on some level telepathy cannot detect." He saw their looks and sighed. "Rogue is Gambit and Gambit is Rogue. Seperate personalities in seperate bodies, but essentially one mind. Seperate them too far for too long and the chemical balance in their brains begins to change, causing irrationality and other mental disorders."

Bishop closed his eyes. It was Rogue. My father went mad for love of her. It made sense somehow and was all the more sad for it.

"What would you suggest we do?" Xavier asked.

"I would suggest reintroducing them to one another's presence under controlled conditions. Rogue is experiencing acute paranoia, and she may very well injure him unintentionally. What behaviours has Gambit exhibited?"

"Not many. We've been giving him medications to counteract the effects."

"Then we can focus on the necessity of controlling Rogue long enough to get the Cajun Cassanova to her. When will we land?"

"In an hour," Scott told him.

"Good." The Professor nodded. "We'll meet you in the hangar. With my telepathic powers reinforcing Jean and Elizabeth, it should be easy to transfer her to a cell in the Danger Room. If we put Gambit in an adjacent cell, they should both return to normal."

"I concur," Beast replied. "Though we may have to wait until Remy's present medication wears off before they have any significant effect on one another."

"Remy's pills only last 24 hours."

Bishop cleared his throat. "I'll go program the Danger Room," he told them, and quietly left the room.

He knew. Without question, without doubt, he knew. She was near. Coming to him, to become him. So he could become her.

The mutant Cajun named Gambit sat on the dock and looked towards an angular black shape that roared as it came down from the sky and vanished among the nearby cliffs above the ocean. The roaring vanished, but he could still feel her. The other part of him. The part of him that was her cried out to be rejoined. Just as in her, the bit of him scrabbled for release.

Without a word, without a thought, the mutant began to run towards the cliffs, to where his lover waited for him.

The Danger Room was ready, programmed with a cell that would hold the Hulk. The hanger was cleared of everything but the Blackbird. Rogue had come out of the plane quietly, joking that it was quite the honour guard she was receiving. She knew what they were doing and she hadn't protested at all as they led her across the hangar.

Then, before even the telepaths realized what was happening, she snapped. Wrenching free of Wolverine and Beast, she shot up to the ceiling, and only the fact that the hangar bay doors were locked kept her from escaping entirely.

Now she flew over the Blackbird, screaming nonstop as she ripped off chunks and hurled them at anyone who moved. Rubble and ice shields littered the hangar floor, giving cover to the X-Men as they tried to move and bring down their most powerful member. Beast and Storm were already unconscious, having been touched and drained by her. Now her skin was covered in blue fur and gales raged through the open area.

His plasma rifle set on full power, Bishop stepped around a piece of fuselage and fired. The beam didn't even faze her and she threw a bit of the Blackbird's wing, charged with the kinetic power she's permenantly gained from Gambit when she first kissed him. He ducked back down, his shoulder bleeding from a tiny cut caused by passing shrapnel, and crawled to where Phoenix, Iceman and Wolverine crouched. Phoenix had a gash across her forehead, but she seemed mostly alert.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Iceman was yelling towards Phoenix.

She shook her head and winced. "She has her mental shields up. Unless something knocks her out, we won't be able to get into her mind."

Wolverine growled, his bone claws fully extended. "Don't know how we're supposed t' stop her without hurtin' her, Jeannie, but it's your call."

Bishop was just about to suggest something when they heard a booming sound and saw Cannonball launch himself at Rogue.

"Sam, no!" Jean screamed.

He obviously meant to knock her out of the sky, trusting to the invulnerability he received when he was blasting to protect him.

He hadn't accounted enough for her strength, though. She darted out of the way and grabbed him, and everyone saw him go limp as she drained his memories and powers. She dropped him and Archangel risked her aim long enough to rush out and catch Sam, then fly him to safety.

"Damn," Iceman said.

Wolverine shrugged. "Boy knew the risks. It could have been worse."

"Rogue!" They heard Cyclops yell. "Stop this, we're your-" Rogue hurled metal and his voice cut off.

Jean concentrated. "He's all right," she said at last. "Just dazed."

"Jean, why don't you hold her with your telekenesis?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think I could. Besides, I think I have a mild concussion. It's taking all my concentration just to try and reach her."

"It's never easy, is it?"

"Nope," Wolverine told him in all seriousness. "That's why we're X-Men."

"Why don't we bring we bring Gambit in?" Bishop asked. They looked at him. "If anyone could reason with her, it's him."

Wolverine frowned thoughtfully. "He's got a point. It's not as though our powers are much use against her."

Jean nodded, though Iceman looked unhappy. "I'll call him."

Again she concentrated, but this time a look of horror crossed her face.

"What is it?"

"It's his thoughts. They're incoherent. They match hers and he's coming this way!"

"Damn!" Ignoring the danger, Bishop bolted towards the small side door leading out of the hangar.

"DUCK!" Someone screamed.

Bishop hit the floor and half the tail section of the Blackbird flew over him to explode against the wall. Flames started up, but were quickly doused by the torrential rain that were flooding the hangar. Bishop was already ankle deep in water as he tried again for the door.

Bobby met him there. "One Cajun's gotta be easier to handle than Rogue," he told him.

The two men ran down the hall, Bishop preparing himself to do what he needed to do to stop his father without hurting him, Bobby amused.

"I always knew the Cajun was nuts,' he laughed. "What a loser."

Bishop didn't even spare him a glance. "He's not nuts, Bobby. He's sick."

"What's the difference?" He shrugged. "Anyway, why are you on his side? You always used to hate him, but now you're all buddy-buddy. What gives?"

"I forgave myself."

"Huh?"

They jogged up to a corner and suddenly Gambit came around it at full speed. He completely bowled Bobby over and kept moving. Bishop had barely an instant to note that he wasn't wearing the collar, and then he was on him.

Bishop grabbed the younger man under the arms as he passed, pulling him off his feet and back against his chest, his hands clasped behind Gambit's head.

His feet half a foot above the ground, Gambit screamed and fought, throwing his body about in an effort to break free. It was all Bishop could do to hold him and Iceman's next comment didn't help any.

Bobby walked in front of them. "Well, this is proof. He's a nutbar. Lock him up and throw away the key."

"Help me with him!" Bishop barked.

"Okay, okay..." Not bothering to use his powers, Bobby went to grab the Cajun's legs.

Abruptly, Remy's foot lashed out and Bobby's face went white. Grabbing his groin, he keeled over.

Remy kept fighting. lifting himself almost parallel with Bishop's shoulders as he struggled, still screaming incoherently.

"Father, calm down! It's me, Bishop!"

Suddenly, Gambit threw his head back into Bishop's face, almost knocking his front teeth loose and weakening his grip. That was all the opening the Cajun needed and somehow, with his feet still an inch above the floor, he threw Bishop over his shoulder into the wall.

Bishop rolled with the impact and came to his feet just in time to chase Gambit down the hall.

Normally, Remy LeBeau was the fastest X-Man on a full-out sprint. He could handle distances, but people had described him as being greased lightning over short spans. Right now, however, he was out of shape and still recovering from his chest injury. Bishop was able to keep up with him, though he couldn't gain a step.

Gambit burst through the door into the hangar. It looked as though Rogue had lost Storm's powers, but the floor was still covered in two inches of water. Remy hesitated in it, and so was still within range as Bishop came through the door in a 250 lb flying body tackle.

Gambit had all the wind knocked out of him as he and Bishop splashed onto the floor and skidded a few feet. A tire hurled at killing speeds passed through the space where Gambit had been standing.

Bishop looked up as Remy puked dirty water and tried to breathe. Rogue was floating in mid-air, coughing.

What the hell-?

"Now! While she's weakened!" Cyclops' eyebeam flashed, accompanied by Archangel's flechette feathers and Storm's lightning. Rogue tumbled a few feet while, trying to stand, Remy cried out in pain.

Awkwardly, Rogue corrected her flight and began to go upwards again. She was holding her left arm to her, he saw.

So was Gambit.

It isn't just a mental link, he realized. He can feel her pain.

Gambit was still struggling to his feet as Rogue grabbed cables from the ceiling, charged them and whipped them around her, sending X-Men fleeing back for cover. She was still dangerous, even more now because she was wounded. Bishop looked at Remy, then at her, then back to Remy. Gambit's eyes were clear, the sudden pain snapping him back to himself. He recognized Bishop as the big man walked up to him.

"P-pup?"

"I'm sorry," Bishop told him truthfully and punched him in the jaw as hard as he could. The Cajun spun half around and went face down into the water.

Rogue dropped like a stone.

"So what you tellin' me is dat I need Rogue around t' t'ink normally?"

Beast leaned back and nodded enthusiastically, almost knocking his glasses loose. "Essentially, yes."

Remy frowned, wincing at the massive bruise on his jaw and considered everything he'd been told. About what happened and why, as well as the fact that he wasn't going insane after all. Finally, he looked at the woman lying in the recovery bed next to his and grinned with as much of his face that would still move.

"Rogue, you're an Upper!"

She regarded him coolly. "That must make ya a downer."

"Hey!"

Well familiar with their arguments, Beast mumbled something multi-syllabic and fled out the door.

Rogue was leaning against her headboard, her knees drawn up as she chewed on her lip.

"You okay, chere?" Gambit asked.

She sighed. "Ah jus' cain't believe ah did that. Ah almost killed mah nearest an' dearest."

An' I t'ought de Peter Pan impresonation I did off de roof be bad.

Quietly, Remy got out of his bed, pulled back her covers and climbed in with her. She moved to give him room, turning over, and they lay spooned together, her back and buttocks against his chest and loins. Remy inhaled deeply of the perfume in her thick hair.

"It not your fault, chere. No more dan it mine. De X-Men not be holdin' dis 'gainst us so dere no reason why we should." Yeah, right, like I believe dat one.

"But ah'm so afraid this will happen again."

"You, afraid? Nah!" He hugged her. "You jus' a li'l caught off guard. All we gotta do is make sure we get t'gether ev'ry day, an' we be fine. Dat gonna be easy."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Ah guess ah'm stuck wit' ya, Swamprat."

"Damn straight, li'l Riverrat."

"Don't ya call me Riverrat."

"Why not? You call me Swamprat."

"That's diff'rent," she assured him with a superior air.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

There was a knock at the door.

Gambit kissed Rogue's shoulder. "Is not," he whispered and sat up. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Bishop walked in. He hesitated at the sight of them in the same bed.

"It's ahl raht, Bish, honey," Rogue told him.

Bishop nodded and closed the door. "I came to see how you were doing."

"Oh, we're fine. Never better."

Bishop nodded again, rather sharply. "So Beast said."

He was looking at him, Gambit realized. "An' you jus' wan'ed t' make sure, ne c'est pas?" He leaned forward. "I'm not crazy, Bishop. You never gonna have t' worry about takin' care a me again."

A little of the tension went out of the big man. Not much, but enough. Bishop didn't look nearly so aged inside. "I see. I'll leave you to rest then." He turned to go.

"Bishop, wait." He looked back and Gambit wrung his hands nervously, stopping the instant he realized what he was doing. "I jus' wan'ed t' t'ank you for all de t'ings you do for me dese past few weeks. You not de same man I first meet."

"Neither are you." Bishop actually smiled at them. "I'll see you later." He left.

"Bye, Pup," Gambit murmured and shivered. "Weird."

Rogue glanced up at him. "What is?"

He gestured vagually. "Oh, everyt'ing. Him bein' my son an' us gettin' t' be friends, an' us bein' de way we are."

"That's what we get foh bein' X-Men, Sugah."

"Dat's what Wolverine say." He shook his head. "Weird."

"You already said that, Sugah."

"I know." He shook his head. "Weird."

Rogue looked at him strangely. "Remy, y'all are repeatin' yaself."

"I know." She sat up slowly as he shook his head. "Weird."

"Remy." There was a tremor in her voice. "Ah'm raht here. Ya can't be doin' this."

"I know." All he could do was shake his head.

"Beast!" Rogue screamed. "BEAST!!"

"Weird..."

Bishop walked alone and thought about an old man. The Witness had had such an effect on him, more than he'd ever thought possible. Everything he was went back to him, it seemed.

Now he let go. Walking along the beach in the dark, Bishop released the Witness. All the worry and despair, fear and hate. Every memory of the old man he had, good or bad, all washing away with the waves that lapped against the shore.

They weren't gone, but they didn't have as much strength as before, like memories of someone who'd died once the grieving process was done. Now he could look back and see the good things that had happened and realize how many of them there were. They'd just been clouded by all the bad.

Bishop stopped and looked back towards the mansion. Its warm lights shone through the trees like a beacon. He felt lighter, relieved, and sadder at the same time. His father was truly dead now, for the man he'd been was never to become.

Which is for the best. I'd never wish the Witness' insanity on anyone.

Bishop walked back to the mansion, just walking, not on patrol for once. His memories of the Witness were at peace, but now he worried about himself. Human minds weren't all that was fragile. His whole world was.

And he didn't know if he had a place in it anymore.