After two weeks of being grilled over the different subjects, Hank looked forward to taking a day off from everything and everybody.  He sat his suitcases, laptop and medical bag down just inside the door as he walked in.  "Good to be home."  He said as the automatic lighting system kicked on.

He squelched the tempting thought of locking his door therefore, not letting anyone know he was back yet.  But the little red light blinking from his answering machine on his desk told him that he had to do otherwise.

Hank let out a long sigh as he pushed thoughts of climbing into bed slip out of his mind.  He pressed the 'Play' button to listen to his messages.  Thank goodness there are only twenty-five.

Hank listened to the various messages.  All of them could wait, none of them required his immediate attention... All but the last one.

"Message number twenty-five."  BEEEP! "Message received Monday, October 28th, 1998 at 6:30 A.M.  BEEEP!"

"Hank!  Dis be Remy!  I know ya tired mon'ami, but Rogue and I need ta see ya as soon as possible.  We be down by seven o'clock a.m.  Sorry Hank, but dis is urgent ... nice ta have ya back."  The click of the receiver being replaced signaled the message was over.  "BEEEP!"

Beast tapped his index finger to his temple, "Now I wonder what those two have gotten into?"  With Remy, there is no telling.

Hank looked at the large digital clock on the far wall.  It read 6:47 a.m.  "Oh well, so much for taking a day off."

He smiled as he picked up the cordless phone's receiver.  Hank dialed the extension that would connect him to Gambit's and Rogue's room.  The connection on the other end ranged twice before someone picked it up.  "Allo."

"Remy."

"Hank!"  How de Hell are ya?"

"I'm fine Remy.  It's been a long two weeks."

Instantly Gambit felt guilty on having to disturb him so early.  "I know mon'ami.  I sorry ta have ta call on ya so early, but it's important dat we see ya first t'ing."

"That's all right.  I can rest later.  You and your beautiful partner be outside my door promptly a seven o'clock."

"Seven ... sure t'ing ... Thanks Hank.  We be raht down."  Remy paused for a moment, "Very mucha'blige Homme."  Then he rung off the line.

Hank replaced the receiver back down on its cradle.  He screwed his face up as he thought about Remy's words and tone.  "Curious."

At five minutes to seven, Gambit was leaning with his back against the wall besides Hank's laboratory's door.  He watched Rogue as she leaned directly across from the laboratory's entrance, with her head back and eyes closed.

Up until they'd actually came downstairs, she'd felt fine.  It was when she realized that she might not want to hear what Henry had to tell her about her powers and the baby that she began to feel ill.

"Chere, ya all raht?"

"Ah'm fine Remy, 'jis fine,"  she said as she wiped her suddenly damp forehead with the back of her gloved hand.

Gambit pushed himself from the wall in her direction.  He did not believe her because she was looking extremely pale.  "I don' know Chere?"  He squinted as he observed her flushed complexion.

Rogue took in a deep breath to try to clear her head.  Oh!  What did Ah do that for?  The smell from the laboratory invaded her nostrils.  Almost instantly, Rogue could taste the dank and vile taste of whatever was left in her stomach began to come up.  She quickly covered her mouth as she looked up then down the hall for the nearest bathroom.

Gambit stepped out of her way then pointed down the hall.

Rogue nodded quickly as she turned to run to the nearest facilities.

Gambit stood in the middle of the hallway, watching her hasty exit.  His spatial awareness alerted him to movement on the other side of the door to his left.  He turned just as Hank opened the doors for them.  "Hi Hank."

"Remy my boy ..."  He looked up then down the hall.  "... where is your lovely soul mate?"

Gambit looked briefly in the direction in which Rogue ran.  "She be along in a minute Hank."

"O.K.  Come in, come in and have a seat over by my desk.  I'll leave the door open for her to enter."

Gambit chewed on his bottom lip as he let his eyes darted again down the hall before he crossed over the threshold into the lab.  "Sure."

Gambit followed Hank over to his desk.  He gestured for Remy to take a seat on the other side of the large mahogany structure, covered with files and specimens of every kind.  Gambit took the seat that was offered him.

Hank settled himself down in his desk chair.  He stroked the rim of his black framed glasses, "Now, what seems to be so urgent?"

"If ya don' mind, I'd rather wait 'til Chere can join us before we tell ya."

*Cough*  They both turned toward the opened door way when they heard Rogue's cough.  "There she is now.  Rogue come have a seat beside Remy."

Gambit was about to say something when he noticed that she was leaning heavily on the door's jamb.  "Rogue?"

"Remy ... Ah ... Ah ... don't feel ... so good ..."  She then collapsed in a dead faint on the floor.

"Chere!!"

"Oh my stars!"

Both men sprang into action.  Gambit was the first to reach her.  Dis get'tin ta be a habit.  "Chere ... Chere!!"  He shook her slightly.

Henry came down on his haunches next to Gambit, "Remy please."  He felt her pulse then check her pupils.  She does not appear to have a fever.  She appears to have fainted.  "Remy get her up from the floor while I clear a place for you to put her."

"Sure."  Remy did as he was told.  Placing his left arm under her middle back and his right arm under the bend of her knees, he lift her up.  Hank had cleared one of  his tables for him to lay  her on.  Gambit carefully laid her limp form down on it so Hank could examine her more thoroughly.

"She appears to have fainted."  He said as he continued to check her vitals.  "Do you know whether she's done this before?"  When Gambit did not say anything, "Gambit!"

"Wha' Hank?"  He refocused his attention back to the unconscious woman before him.  "Oh!  Yeah!  Several times within the last couple of days."

Hank raised one curious eyebrow, "Remy, could she be pregnant?"

"Yeah Hank, depending on how accurate one of dose 'Home Pregnancy Test' are, she could."

Hank gave him a hard stare.  "If done correctly, those are very accurate my boy, very accurate indeed."

Rogue immediately gagged and coughed as her green eyes fluttered open.  *Cough*, *Cough*  "Ah'm woke!  Ah'm woke!!"  *Cough*  She squinted as she took in her surroundings.  Hank's lab?  How Ah get in here?

Remy place a reassuring hand over one of hers that laid to her side, "Chere, ya passed out again."

"Remy,"  she smiled.  The she turn attention to the blue furred doctor at her left.  "Hank ... nice tah see yah."

"Yes and under such circumstances.  Remy tells me that there is a great possibility that you are with child.  Is that correct?"

She nodded.  "We sort of realized it yesterday.  Ah could not wait until Ah saw yah this morning tah find out, so Ah did the 'Home Pregnancy Test' that Remy bought me at the store early that morning."

"Chere ..."  Gambit called her attention back to him.  " ... Hank says does t'ings are pretty straight."

"Yes Rogue they are, but you don't mind if I do my own testing do you?  Just to be sure."

Rogue felt a little self conscious about letting Hank examine her, but she knew that if there was something wrong with her or the child, that he'd be able to detect it with the advance equipment he had, courtesy of Li'Landra and the Shi'ar.  "Sure Hank.  Then maybe yah can tell me how Ah'm suppose tah ever eat again without throwing up or passing out."

He chuckled.  "I'll shall endeavor to give you a full battery of test my dear."  Hank smiled as he left her side to look for a dressing gown for his new patient.

She only nodded back as he left.  "Remy, are yah go'na stay with me?"  Her bottom lip began to tremble, "Ah'm frightened."

"Now Chere, don' be afraid."  He cooed.  "Hank gonna give ya de four star treatment."

"Yah didn't answer mah question."

She saw straight through dat too.  "If he lets me Chere, I'll be her' for ya.  I not scheduled for de Danger Room until dis afternoon, so I don' see why I can'."

"Hank!"  She called out over her head.

"Yes my dear Rogue."  He answered her back.

"Can Remy stay for this?"

Hank came back over the her table.  Gently, he laid the gown down on her abdomen.  "This will take a while Remy.  Are you sure you can spare the time?"

He smiled brilliantly down at Rogue's eager face, "Sure Hank, any t'ing for her."  She smiled back.  " 'Jis let me check in with Jean."  Gambit pressed his wrist communicator then walked a little ways off from them.

"All Right."  Hank turned to Rogue,  "Now Rogue do you feel up to sitting up?

She nodded as she braced her arms then pushed herself up into a sitting position.  "See, piece of cake."

Hank studied her, "So it would seem.  Can you stand?"

Rogue slowly let herself slide off the side of the examining table until her feet contacted with the floor.  Her footing was sure so she released the table.  "See, Ah'm fine now."

"Hummm.  So it comes in waves and is not a constant."  It was more a statement then a question.

"If yah mean it comes and passes throughout the day ... yeah yah could say that."  She shrugged her shoulder up, "Ah'm usually fine after Ah've thrown up or pass out until it hits again."

Gambit walked back to where the two were conversing.  "How ya feel'in Chere?"

"Mah head is throbbing a little bit, but otherwise Ah'm O.K."  He only nodded back.  "What Jean say?"

"Oh, she said that she'll tell the others where we are and to take our time."

"You go change Rogue.  I shall be with you shortly."  He pointed in the direction of the lab's bathroom.  "You can change in there.  Do you feel you need assistance?"

"Nope.  Ah feel like mahself raht now."  She looked back toward the Lab's baths as she started to walk away.  "Don't forget to ask him 'bout what yah and Ah talked 'bout last night Remy."

"I wan'."  He blew her a kiss as she turned then walked into the medium size room, closing the door behind her.  Now that Rogue was out of earshot, Gambit could relax.  He let out a cleansing breath as Hank stepped close to him.  "Hank, we are afraid dat ... somet'ing could be wrong wit' de baby since we both Mutants.  We also wan' ta know whet'er Rogue's powers could cause de lit'le one any harm?  Will ya test tell us any of dat?"