(no subject)

[un_gloved]

Rogue's room had the air of one that was unlived in. It had been almost half a year since she'd begun sleeping at other people's places. Mostly Spike's, a few times Wolverine's, but almost never in a room alone. She spent time her in her room, and kept things there, but it didn't feel the way it had when it had been constantly a mess and fully hers.

That kind of thing seemed to be going around. At least, her room wasn't the only thing that felt half-alien and unfamiliar.

After more than two hours of not moving, Rogue's eyelids twitched. Her lashes fluttered open and she took in the room with a calm, steady gaze. Not sedated- not any more- although a certain lethargy clung to her initial movements, turning her head and and shifting against the mattress, pushing herself up on her elbows and frowning a little as her head fell forward, heavy.

"Mnh."

Comments

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

Rogue lifted her head, blinking a few times at Emma's outline. She realized she had no idea what day it was, or time. She didn't try to remember what had happened before she'd- fallen asleep? Not remembering loomed at her and she shied away.

"Emma?"

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

Being recognized was no real guarantee that it was, in fact, Rogue there, but Emma was fairly sure it was. Maybe whatever it was which had happened had exhausted everyone else for a while. Walking closer, she sat at the end of the bed. "I'm still me, yes," she said, "and rather hoping you're still yourself as well."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Rogue said, frowning and dragging her fingertips across her forehead.

"Think so, anyway. Lordy, 'm tired- how long've I been out?"

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

"A couple of hours," Emma answered, "that I'm aware of." She wasn't fond of not being the first to know about the things, but the smallness of the island at least meant she had heard reasonably fast. There were few enough people she cared about one way or the other on this island, but Rogue was certainly somewhere on the list. "Do you recall what happened?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Almost," she said honestly, because if there was one person she was obligated to be honest with, it was her therapist the White Queen.

"I don't want to, but the shape of it's there. I remember Dr. McCoy, 'n Gambit-" she seemed to shudder.

"But before that... I don't know how we ended up in the... bathroom? But I thought, I remember thinking, somethin' bad was about to go down, people were about to die 'n I had to get to 'em. But..." She frowned, closing her eyes.

"But all th'important pieces are missin'."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

"Missing or hiding?" prompted Emma. Genuine though she believed Rogue was being, there was a vast difference there and she knew well the tricks the mind could play, willingly or otherwise. "I'll speak to them both when I've the chance, but I need to hear it from you, Rogue."

She paused — not hesitated, of course, she never hesitated, but she waited, considered, something not unkind in her expression. "How are you feeling?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"...h- hiding," Rogue said, after taking a few moments to really face the question. She knew what it felt like, to circle a blank spot of memory and know something was there, just unavailable.

"They- Ah'm fine," she lied, not trying to lie but not quite able to say I feel scared and exhausted.

"'m just... just wish Ah knew what happened."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

"It will come back to you," Emma said. "We'll find it. I'm sure the good doctor will be willing to fill you in when he returns, darling, but in the meanwhile, tell me — what do you remember? You were in the bathroom and you don't know how; what happened before that?" She would help her trace every errant step she could. For Rogue to come to it on her own was infinitely more helpful than to have that drawling fool of a friend of Jean's come and fill in all the blanks for her. It would do Rogue no good if she did not push.

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

When Emma Frost used pet names or endearments, it was usually deeply mocking, or at least made one feel about as small as they could get, from Rogue's recollection. Being on the other end of the woman's genuine curiosity lessened that somewhat, or at the very least it was unnervingly novel enough to diminish the effect. Rogue pushed her hair away from her face.

"Ah was readin'," she said, suddenly aware of how thick her accent was from all the upset. She assumed.

"Ah was readin'.... Ah think it was Mark Twain. 'n Ah fell asleep cuz- you know," because she hadn't been sleeping well, not for months, "'n then... Ah cain't remember wakin' up, just bein' awake 'n fightin' t'get t'the hallway. But Gambit was tryin'a calm me down, only he looked..."

As close to scared as she'd ever seen him. She didn't know what that meant.

"Like he'd seen a ghost," she said, without really thinking it through or meaning to. Her face screwed up in through and she dug the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"Was it Creed? Was- Oh, Lord, was it Bella?"

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

Emma nodded, listening closely, taking in Rogue's gestures and expression as she spoke — still upset, she thought, still half-fighting to keep it down even as she tried to work it out. The lack of sleep did her no good, left her unnecessarily addled, but it was the worry, too. Perhaps they would circle back to who it had been, or it would come out on its own when Rogue wasn't thinking about it consciously.

Pressing her lips into a line, Emma glanced down, brow raising. "Go on," she said. "He tried to calm you down. Why were you trying to get to the hallway?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"To... stop somethin' bad from happening. To stop people from bein' killed. Ah knew they would be, but I don't know who 'they' are." She frowned at her lap.

"Ever since that weekend we all dreamed o'bein' home, that feelin' o' somethin'... hidin', or bein' knocked loose, I think this was that.' She pressed her lip together for a moment, as if to stop herself from saying what came next.

"'n I think it has somethin' t'do with Gambit."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

If anyone would know, it was Rogue. The question, Emma knew, was whether Rogue was being entirely honest with herself or just grabbing at straws in hopes of digging out an answer. Still, all things considered, it sounded as plausible as anything else. "And why is that?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

She pulled in a steadying breath, but let it out shakily.

"Because he's the last person Ah touched back home. Ah had- kissed him, it, the world was endin' 'n we couldn't stop it 'n Ah just reached out, 'n... 'n then I was here, 'n nothin' ever... I never heard his thoughts or had his memories so Ah thought the transfer hadn't happened. Ah think.... Ah think maybe it did."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

Emma's brow raised minimally, her chin lifting with it. "I wouldn't be surprised," she said. While Gambit didn't seem always to be directly involved, there was no doubt he was a unifying thread. In any case, he was important to Rogue and that was far from insignificant. "But you've never had any of his memories, during or since?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

She dug her knuckles against her temples, sighing raggedly. She shook her head after a few moments' digging.

"No. Not that Ah know of."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

"So it's all idle conjecture," Emma said, "based on what, a kiss and a crush?" She stood as she spoke, barely resisting the urge to pace. Sessions with Rogue would have been so much easier if she'd had her ability still. "We need a bit more to go on than that."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

Rogue blinked a few times, and she stared at Emma a little harder. Her hackles were starting to raise.

"A crush? He's the first person Ah ever loved, Emma, 'n th'only one Ah ever kissed outta passion- back home. It ain't some school-yard hang up Ah'm tryin'a blow up into somethin' more. Ah know what Creed's thoughts feel like, and this wasn't him, but he was in it, somehow. 'n Ah don't think it had anythin' to do with Wolverine!"

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

Emma just watched her, apparently unfazed, and nodded calmly. "Alright," she said, "you're the only one who would know." Unfortunately. Helping Rogue never failed to make her more irritable over her loss, although even that was preferable to breaking down over it. "What did it feel like, then? You were concerned for the safety of someone, several people. What else?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Ah dunno, it's all a jumble," Rogue said, now thoroughly agitated and ill-equipped to work around it.

"But Ah heard Sabretooth's voice 'n Ah didn't know where Ah was, but Ahg ot- scared, Ah guess, because Ah coulda' sworn the Marah..." The wind left her metaphorical sails and she stared at the wall as threads of information tried to spool together in her mind.

"....The Marauders?"

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

Emma slowed, stopped, looked quizzically at Rogue. That particular set predated her affiliation with the X-Men, but she was familiar enough to find that — and, moreover, Rogue's reaction — interesting.

"Does Gambit have some special association with them?" she asked. "An especially traumatic incident, a particularly bad fight, something you might inadvertently have found yourself reliving?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"I know he has... history with Sinister," Rogue said, reluctantly, because it wasn't really her secret to tell.

"But the rest of it, no. Or, I dunno. He ain't big on sharing."

[neveraskedtwice.livejournal.com]

"No, I don't imagine he would be," Emma said. That was hardly surprising. Who among them was? It was a trait she couldn't fault any of them for. "But all the same, Rogue, I think you're going to have to speak to him. If you can get to the bottom of what's caused this incident, that might prove very helpful."