In The Hands of a Stranger

The Choice: Part 1

Remy Lebeau paced the floor of the Med Bay at the Xaiver's School for the Gifted. The only reason he came to Westchester was for Rogue. She was the girl he loved, and she was in dire straights. It had been only a few hours, but Rogue had not awakened yet, and it was starting to make Remy nervous.

"Rogue, why you do dis t'Remy? Just wake up, dat's all I want. Can' ya do dat for Remy?" She didn't stir, and that made him more nervous than anything else did. "What ya be doin' up dere, aye?"

He held her hand, even through his gloves he could tell they were cold. He was so fixated on Rogue he didn't notice that Logan had walked in with a young woman. He only knew this when he heard the woman speak.

"Monsieur Labeau," said the young woman, holding out her hand. Remy looked up at the woman, who looked about the same age as Rogue. That's where the similarity ended. She had light auburn hair in a mass of curls that was tied back in a ponytail. She wore glasses and a white lab coat. "My name's Adrienne Foster."

"You here t'help Rogue?" he asked, turning his attention back to the woman he loved.

"I hope so," she said. "What Logan tells me is that Rogue has a foreign mind trapped inside her."

"Yeah, an' dat girl be tryin' t'take over. Logan brought her back."

Remy looked over at Logan who had stayed silent until now. "Adrienne knows what she's doin'."

"Logan, you give me too much credit." Adrienne put her hands on either side of Rogue head. She was careful not to touch her skin. Adrienne closed her eyes, concentrating hard. After about a minute of this Adrienne stopped. It was obvious that she was a little weak. Logan helped her into a chair.

"Ya alright, darling?"

"Yes," she said. "I just wasn't prepared for that."

"So, what's goin' on wit Rogue?" Remy asked.

"Simple," Adrienne said, after she regained her strength. "When her powers returned, they did so at an accelerated rate, and with Carol's unique DNA it made the transfer permanent."

"Can ya undo it?" Remy asked.

"No," Adrienne said, "not where the powers are concerned, but it is possible to return Carol to her own body, but..."

"But what?" Logan asked.

"One, it will take time, and two, it's no guarantee Carol will wake up, and even if she does her mind might be permanently damaged. So could Rogue's."

Adrienne remained seated since she was still weak. "How you know dis?"

"Because I'm an empath."

Another woman came into the Med Bay at that moment, a woman with long white hair and dark skin. "The highest level empath I have ever encountered," she said and smiled at Adrienne.

Adrienne finally felt strong enough to stand. "Storm, it's so good to see you again."

"So how's our patient?" Storm asked.

"Still unconscious, but I think I can help her. It's a good thing I contacted Logan a few weeks ago." She looked over to the burly man, who had nothing to say. "So when he asked me to come here and help Rogue, I couldn't say no."

"So how we gonna help Rogue?" Remy asked.

"With your help, we can help Rogue control Carol until we can find a way to return her to her body."

"How am I gonna do dat?" Remy asked.

"You're an empath too, Monsier Labeau, low level, but combined with my powers, strong enough. That's if you're willing to risk yourself."