Remy died without a sound.
Horrified, numb, Rogue stared down at him as his eyes closed and the alarms on the medical monitors started to scream.
"Save him," she whispered.
Hank shook his head hopelessly. "I can't."
"SAVE HIM!"
Jean put a hand on her arm. "Rogue... he's gone."
She yanked her arm away. This was wrong, it was a mistake. They'd worked so long to convince Remy to trust them, to lure him out of the tunnels under the mansion. He'd saved her from Sinister, he couldn't - he wouldn't - be dead.
Before her, Hank spread out a sheet, using it to cover him. Everyone was there, all the X-Men, and they were being so quiet, so sad. Hank lowered the sheet over Remy's face and something in her snapped.
"NOO!" Pushing Hank away, she grabbed Remy and flew, hitting the sound barrier in seconds with him in her arms. Behind her, the Blackbird lifted off in pursuit and she raced down a canyon to elude it. They wanted to put him in a hole and bury him. She couldn't allow that.
It was an hour before she felt like she'd lost them and finally landed beside a lake. Remy was cold, so she lit a fire to warm him.
"That was close, sugah," she told him, but he didn't answer, lying where she'd laid him. That was all right. She was used to him not speaking. She built the fire up and sat with him, his head in her lap as she stroked his soft hair. It was nice, just sitting with him and staring up at the night sky. It was something she'd wanted to do for a long time, even when he was hiding himself from everyone. It was good that he wasn't afraid of her anymore, but there was something about the whole situation that bothered her. She didn't want to dwell on it, though. Remy was with her and that was all that mattered.
It was cold that night, and very dark. Afraid to put too much wood on the fire in case the X-Men saw it, she snuggled up to Remy for warmth. He didn't seem to give any back to her though, and she woke up cold and hungry.
"Well, sugah, that was th' night from hell." She smiled down at his still face. After everything that happened with Sinister, she couldn't blame him for being tired. "Ah'll be back soon. Ah'm gonna go find food."
She returned fourty minutes later, carrying a handful of berries with her mouth purple from the ones she'd eaten. She was just walking into the clearing when she heard growling and looked up to see something beyond horror.
Two jackals were there, worrying at an unresisting Remy. One was tugging on his arm while a second yanked a chunk of meat from his side. Remy was gray and stiff.
Rogue screamed, hurling herself at them. The jackals scattered and she bent over him, frantically ripping strips from her own clothes to bandage him with while tears ran down her cheeks. Fortunately, there was very little blood. She didn't leave him again.
She couldn't stay awake forever, though, and a day later, she fell asleep.
When she woke, Remy was gone. Frantically, she took to the sky to search for him and saw movement a few clearings over. It was Logan, she realized. He was building a cairn of stone.
"What are ya doin'!?" She gasped as she landed.
"Buryin' th' dead," he answered evenly and laid another stone on the pile.
Remy was under those rocks. Helpless, unable to move, to breathe... "He's not dead!" She screamed, lunging at the cairn.
Logan stepped between her and it, his stare uncompromising. "Yes, he is, darlin'. He died back at that lab an' you know it."
She shook her head stubbornly, her stomach churning. 'He CAN'T be dead! Ah love him."
His eyes softened just the tiniest bit. "I know, darlin', an' love an' grief can make a body do crazy things. I know ya hurt, but ya have ta let th' Cajun go. He's had his turn, now he's gotta rest."
Rogue collapsed to her knees, the tears flowing freely now as the full realization of Remy's death came through to her. She'd only been deluding herself into believing otherwise.
"Ah don't want ta leave him here," she said softly.
"It don't matter ta him none, darlin'."
"Ah don't want ta leave him here," she repeated. "Ah want him... buried... in th' mansion's graveyard." It'd been hard to get the word out, but she had to.
"Whatever ya want, darlin'."
Logan shrugged. "She wasn't ready ta let go. Remember when Jean died? Ya may have left her body alone, but ya still carted her around with you."
Scott didn't look convinced. "But we knew absolutely nothing about him."
"Not details, no, but Rogue looked at that boy and saw right inta his soul. He saw the same in her. A bond like that happens maybe once in a lifetime an' she lost him in a heartbeat. No wonder she's shaken up."
Scott sighed. "Well, I hope she recovers from her grief soon. We need her."
"Don't ya get it? She's NEVER goin' ta get over him. Not entirely. Part o' her's always goin' ta be thinkin' o' him 'cause he's always going ta be with her."
Over by the grave, Rogue didn't hear them, delicately planting young flowers. It was really a lovely spot, warm and well lit, perfectly designed for growth. She'd picked it herself.
"They're tulips, sugah," she told him as she worked. "An' ah got some crocuses here too. Ah think the' colours look really good an' ah love the smell." She contined talking, and digging, not minding the pain because, here at least, she could feel his warm presence all around her.
~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~