Ah feel awful!  She shut her eyes to try to calm the pain in her head.  Instantly she reached to the other side of the bed for Remy, but he was already gone.  Where that boy get off to?  She groused as she looked around their room.

The sound of the shower running from the other side of the bedroom wall caught her attention.  Must be bathing.  She screwed up her face, "Ah can't remember the last time he beat me out of bed.  Wonder what time it is?"  She brought her wrist up to look at the time on her bracelet.  It read 7:35 a.m.

"7:35 a.m.!  Oh mah gosh!  Ah'm late!! ....... Ow!"  The pain in her head intensified.  Rogue  pressed her fingers to her temples to try to suppress the pain.  Slowly, she moved her legs to the side of the bed.  When she sat up, the pain in her head shifted.  It felt heavy now, almost too heavy to hold up.  "Woe!"  She let herself fall back down in the comfortable folds of the bed.  Pulling the pillows over her head she groaned out loud with the mounting nausea.

"Chere?"

The sound of Remy's voice startled her.  "Go away Remy!"  She said from underneath the pillows on her head.

Gambit pulled a couple of the pillows off her, "Are ya not feel'in well Chere?"

To answer him, she buried herself further under the covers and pillows.  She used a small peep whole to look at Gambit.  He was standing near the head of the bed.  A large white towel hung low around his waist.  His still damp hair plastered to his dripping wet skin.  She knew she had to be sick if she had not bothered to admire him.  "Remy, Ah don't feel good."  She whined.

He came down on knees in front of her.  "Aw Chere?"  Slowly, he tugged the sheets and pillows away from her face.  "Wha's wrong?  Tell Gambit so he can make it all bet'ta."

"Ah have a headache.  It feels like it weighs a ton."  She whimpered.

"Ya t'roat scratchy?"

"No," she said weakly.

"Ya tummy aches?"

"No, not really, but it feels funny."

"Have ya tried sit'tin up yet?"

"No,"  she lied.

Gambit got back up from the floor, "Wan'na try?"

She nodded, Yes.  Rogue instantly regretted doing that because the pain shot threw her head again.  Ow!  She squinted hard against the radiating pain that throbbed in her head.

Gambit stepped back.  He watched her slowly move her legs to the edge of the bed near him.  She scooted closer to the edge allowing her legs to come from underneath the covers to eventually let them touch the floor.  Rogue groaned as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

"How's dat Chere?"  He smiled.

"Not much better but some."  True at least she had made it all the way up and was still in a sitting position.

"Hummmmm."  Gambit watched her intently.  "Why don'cha stay in today.  I tell Cyclops ya under de weather.  He'll understand."   Maybe?

"Ah'm gon'na do this!  Ah can't be sick!  Ain't Ah partially invulnerable?"

"Me t'ink de key word is 'partially', Chere?"  He turned away from her to finish drying himself off.

Rogue balled her mouth up at him as she watched him dress in his combat fatigues.  By the time he was pulling his cowl up under his hair, she still hadn't move from the side of the bed.

Gambit turned his attention back to the now pale woman sitting on the edge of the bed.  "Chere, I don' t'ink ya need ta come down.  I bring ya breakfast up ta ya, how's dat?"

FOOD!! At the mention of food, Rogue's stomach did a horrible flip-flop.  She covered her mouth as she gagged from the vile taste that rose up in her throat.

"Chere!"  If Gambit did not know any better he would've sworn she turned green before his eyes.  He grabbed a nearby trash can.  "Oh No!  Rogue!"

She did not answer as she hurriedly took the trash can out of his hand.  She quickly leaned her head down into the can.  Rogue heaved then pewked again and again and again.

"Oh Saints!"  Gambit waited patiently as she threw up every bit a food that might have been inside her.  He stroked her hair then pulled it back from her face out of the way.  "Are ya finished Chere?"

"Ah ... Ah ... think so,"  she pulled her head out of trash can.

He took it out of her hands but didn't move it too far away from her in case she'd have to use it again.  "Wan' me ta get'cha a cold compress or somet'ing?"

"No!"  She braced her hands beside her then pushed up into a standing position.  The room shifted slightly in her head.  Maybe Ah should've listened tah him?  Welp too late now.  "Ah need tah go freshen up after that."

"I don' know 'bout'cha trying to stand or walk Chere?"

"Ah ... can ... do ... this!"

"Lem'me help ya den."

She waved her hand at him to stay where he was.  "No!"  She protested.  "Ah will do this mahself!"

Gambit was not as sure as she was so he stayed close to her in case she needed assistance.  She had stood but had not taken a step toward the bathroom yet.  "Rogue."  He cautioned.

She finally took one step.  She made herself smile at the man that was less than two feet away from her.  "See, I told ya."  Then the world went black around her.

Gambit was instantly by her side.  He caught Rogue's now unconscious body up in his arms before she hit the floor.  With his right arm bracing her back and his left arm under her knees, he gently placed her limp form back  down on the bed.  I knew it!

Remy pulled the covers back up around her waist as he studied her.  Rogue's beautiful main of hair splayed all over the pillow her head now rested on.  He checked her pulse.  Good, she breathing and beating normal.  "What now? Hank is out of town."  He said as he straightened back up beside the bed.  Jean, call Jean!  Gambit tapped the communicator on his wrist.  "Jean!"

"Remy you and Rogue are late for breakfast.  Should I leave something warming for you two?"

"No!  Dis ain't 'bout breakfast!"  He nervously raked his hands through his overlong bangs.  "Jeanie, Rogue's sick.  She passed out on de bed up here!  Could'ya come raht away please!"
With Hank being out of town, Jean's empathtic ability was the next best thing.

Gambit left Rogue momentarily to get a cold compress from the bathroom.  When he returned, Jean was by Rogue's side, along with Storm, Bishop and Wolverine.  He paused to look at all of them.  They were gathered around the bed watching as Jean held Rogue's hand.

"How much time before her bracelet goes off Remy?"

"Wha'?"

A small fusha color haze circled Jean's head.  She turned to look at him as he came to stand beside her.  "If I can reach her before her powers kick in, I can wake her up.  Now tell me how much time do I have!"

Gambit took Rogues left hand out of Jean's grasp.  He pressed several buttons like she'd showed him to determine if she had anything in reserve or not.  Good, she does.  "Ya got ten minutes.  At 8:05 a.m. her powers should kick back on for de day."  He gave the hand back to her.

Jean leaned forward, placing her other hand on Rogue's forehead, she closed her eyes.  She concentrated on Rogue's conscious.  Everything around her slipped away in a gray haze.  "Rogue? Rogue?"

She did not have to go too deep before Rogue answered her.

"Jean!  What has happened tah me?"

"You have passed out in your room."

"Where's Remy?"

"He's right here beside me.  Are you ready to wake up now?"

"Yes, can ya help me?"

"Take my hand and I will lead you out."  Jean telephathtically outstretched her hand into the gray void.  From where Rogue was standing in her own mind, she could vaguely see Jean's hand.

"I see it!"

"Good, now take a hold of it and I'll guide you back.  Hurry before one of your memories notice I'm here."

Rogue could hear someone else approaching.  She turned around to face whoever it was.

"Rogue come to me.  Focus on me only, please."

"Who is that?  What do yah want?"  Rogue asked the approaching figure.

"Rogue!  Do as I say, now!  Grab my hand!!"

Rogue turned back toward Jean.  She ignored whoever was coming up behind her as she grabbed the outstretched hand.

"Gotcha!!"  The figure yelled as it grabbed Rogue's shoulder.

She turned back around to see who it was that had grabbed her.  "Juggernaut!!"  She screamed.  "Let go of me!!"

"Ignore him Rogue .....focus on me only!!  If you do as I say, he'll go away."

"Jean, yes Jean."  Rogue ignored the trapped memory of Juggernaut as he tried to pull on her shoulder.  Jean's hand and voice became more clear to her.  "Jean, Ah'm a' comin!"

Jean concentrated as hard as she could as she pulled Rogue's mind back to wakefulness.  Soon the figure of Juggernaut disappeared in Rogue's head.  She could see a light gray haze in front of her.  She moaned as her eyes began to flutter slowly open.

Everyone breathe a sigh of relief as Rogue looked all around her.  "What happen?  Why y'all standing over me in mah room?"  She looked up into Jean's concerned face then she looked down at her own hand in hers.  "Why we holding hands Jean?"

"Chere!"  Gambit came down on his haunches beside the bed.  "Don' ya remember?"  She shook her head, No.  "Ya passed out after ya threw up in de trash can when ya tried ta go ta de bathroom.  I called Jean ta come see 'bout'cha.  De others were concerned when dey hear my message and come too.  Jean just spent de last five minutes try'in ta bring back."

"Really?"  She arched her browse then she looked at Jean.  "Thanks Sugah, much obliged."

She released Rogue's hand, "You are welcome."

"Where is everybody else?"

"They had already left the table when Gambit called," acknowledged Storm.

"Oh."

"Threw up?  Passed out?  What other type of symptoms have you been experiencing an how long?"  Asked Jean.

"Well Ah've been experiencing nausea for the past week along with headaches."

"Rogue ya not tell me 'bout dis happen before.  Why?"

She looked at Gambit's worried face.  "Ah know Sugah, but Ah did not want tah worry yah.  Ah thought it maybe some type of passing bug.  Anyhow, it passed quickly the other mornings, Ne'vah nothing like this happened before."

"Mornings?"  Wolverine's sharp sense of hearing definitely heard that.  "Ya always experiencing these symptoms in the morning Darlin?"

"Yelp."

Wolverine smile knowingly.  But never said a word.

Rogue was starting to feel like a gold fish in a glass bowl.  "Y'all don't have nothing better tah do 'cept look at a passed out woman?"

Jean got up from the bed,  "She's right.  Let us let her rest."  She ushered everyone out of the room.  "That means you to Remy."

"In a minute,"  he called over his shoulder to Jean.  "Tell Cyclops I'll be down in a minute."

"All right, but Rogue needs her rest."

He nodded in agreement as everyone filed out of their room.  "Welp I guess ya wan' need dis."  He tossed the now warm wet rag he held in his hand onto the bathroom floor.  He retrieved the trash can, "Lem'me clean dis up for ya."  He quickly disappeared into the bathroom where he emptied, washed then put a clean trash bag into the can.  "T'ank goodness, ya not have dat much on ya tummy or dis could've really gotten messy,"  He attempted to make her laugh.

Rogue smiled to try to hide her distress, but to no avail.  A solitary tear escaped out of the corner of her eye.  "Remy ......."  She coked.  "...... Ah'm scared.  Ah'm never sick."

He placed the can back down in its original spot.  "Now Chere."  He sat on the side of the bed near her.  "Come here."

"No, mah powers are back on now.  Yah can't touch me!"

"I be careful."  He outstretched his arms as she came up to meet him.  "Promise."

Rogue carefully put her arms around his waist then she turned her head away from his face, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"Gambit not gon'na let anyt'ing happen ta ya.  Hank will be back soon from his conference in Australia.  Ya stay in bed till den, O.K.?"  She shook her head, Yes.  "When he come, he see 'bout'cha.  We den get ta de bottom of dis t'ing, Eh?"

"O.K."  She answered back weakly.

Remy pulled away from her to study her damp face.  "I love ya Chere?  Whatever dis is, we face it ta'get'er."

Rogue smiled at her lover of one year.  She truly loved him.  He always knew the right thing to say.