Gambit stayed in the white room with that woman named Lauren Binns, still fighting to remember her. He knew he should, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't.

When they entered this mansion called Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, an older, bald man in a wheelchair and a blue beast-man were waiting for them. They instructed him to lay her down on the examining table and got to work checking her out. The Beast, or Hank, dealt with placing a heart and pulse monitor on her as the Professor immediately rolled to the head of the bed, put his hands on either side of her head, and bent over her—forehead to forehead—with his eyes closed. Scott—the red-beam guy—had explained Professor Charles Xavier as a telepath on the ride back, so he didn't wonder what he was doing.

The Beast had tended to him after finishing with Lauren; Jean tended to the others. Wolverine was the only one not down there being treated—Storm said he healed quickly on his own. When the Professor completed checking Lauren for any mental damage, he left saying he needed to tend to something but promised to return.

Now alone, he sat in a chair near to Lauren sleeping on the table. He constantly looked from her to the queen of hearts in his hand. The card seemed to be the only physical proof that he truly did have a connection with her—it wasn't just him imagining it.

The others told him what they knew about Avaleyn Nitall from what Lauren had said. She had altered his mind, and that was why he had trouble remembering things.

But he had no trouble recalling his past—growing up in New Orleans; being exiled; having surgery to reduce his potential; jumping from state to state and performing card tricks to make a living. The only thing he couldn't remember was Lauren, or anything involving her.

Why? Why only her?

"Still having trouble?" the Professor asked as he rolled in.

"Oui. I know she is important, but I can't find any memories of her. I get these... pieces, like a smile, cheveux roux, or the sound of her voice. She is more than what Avaleyn told me, but I can't figure out what."

He smiled. "Those fragments are good: that means Nitall didn't completely erase Lauren from your memories; she just suppressed them."

"But why do you think Avaleyn went after those memories of Lauren in particular?" Gambit asked.

"I believe Avaleyn wiped your memories of Lauren to make you more susceptible to her lies. If you had remembered Lauren, you would've fought Nitall to get back to her. She also made you forget who she actually was for the same reason."

He looked at the older man. "Are you saying there's something entre nous? Something between us?" He added in the translation, not sure if the Professor would understand.

"I'm not going to enforce my belief on you, but I know how Lauren feels about you. She loves you for you, Remy; Avaleyn Nitall only loved the idea of having your powers." The Professor looked at him. "You wonder why you feel the way you do when you look at her... Perhaps you feel the same about her."

Gambit was stunned at the news. She loved him, and he didn't know her. Maybe that was why pain had crossed her features when he first walked up to her... It pained him now remembering her stricken face.

He looked at the Professor. He liked the older man—he held a gentle and humble air around him. This was a man he felt he could trust. Cyclops had said he's the most powerful telepath he had ever met; Jean being the closest. So, if anyone could help, it would be him. "Can you help me remember her?"

The Professor looked at him. "The mind is a tricky thing to fix, Gambit. Do you want to take that risk?"

He didn't hesitate. "Oui; she at least deserves me remembering her."

"Will I be able to enter your mind? Lauren told me you have an ability that protects you from telepaths. An excellent defense mechanism, I might add."

Gambit nodded. "Oui; you can get in. If I allow a telepath access, they can; if they try to force their way in, non; they can't."

The Professor told him to lie down on an examining table so he could reach him better. When Gambit did, he got behind him, placed his hands on both sides of his head like Lauren, and told him to relax and close his eyes. As soon as his eyes closed, he felt the Professor lean over his head.

Nothing happened at first, then he felt a gentle nudge, and colors exploded across the black canvas of his eyelids. The colors were haphazard, then gradually mended together and formed images.

Memories, actually. The images moved, were as vivid like they were taking place right in front of him, and had sound. All the memories circled around Lauren—when he first saw that flaming-haired beauty watching his card tricks in Chicago, to her laughing as she struggled to get one of his cards at that gas station, to the last memory of her screaming his name before they hit that tree. He remembered her smell as he held her those nights that were so cold in the woods; he remembered kissing her neck the night before they went to her parents', and wishing that had been her lips. He felt the pain in his chest as he watched Mr. Kavel kiss her.

The gentle presence faded, and Gambit opened his eyes to see the Professor moving back. He could recall everything about Lauren—their struggles to get to this exact spot. But most of all, he remembered that he loved Lauren Binns.

He looked over at her as he sat up. He longed for her to wake so he could tell her that he felt the same, and kiss her.

***

A day passed, and Gambit hadn't left her side much, other than to get a bath and use the restroom. Storm would bring down some food for him and to check on Lauren. The other X-Men did too; even Logan, which surprised him because of his gruff, unapproachable attitude. He occupied himself with practicing card tricks as he waited.

He was experimenting with a new trick he had come up with when he saw her hand twitch. With hope rising in his chest, Gambit stored the cards in a pocket and got up to check on her.

"Lauren?" he asked.

Her face moved in reaction to her name—or his voice, he wasn't sure—and she struggled to open her eyes. When they finally flickered open, those gray eyes shot over to him.

He practically attacked her for a hug.

"Dieu merci, you're okay!"

He pulled back to hold her by the arms; he caressed her jaw. "Lauren, I—"

"Who are you?" she asked.

Her question caught him off guard. He was going to tell her he loved her too when she spoke, and there was such confusion in her eyes.

"What do you mean, amour? It's me: Remy."

She pushed herself up. "I thought you called me Lauren; who's amour? What does that mean?"

He just stared at her as a sinking feeling sank into his gut. "Quit playing around, chérie; this isn't funny."

"Would you stop calling me different things? You're confusing me!"

He tried to reach for her. "Laur—"

She fought him off. "No! Don't touch me! I don't know who you are!"

"Lauren, amour, please!"

"No! Get away from me! Who are you! Where am I!"

The Beast and Jean suddenly ran into the room. Lauren screamed and scooted back on the examining table, putting space between them.

"What is that thing!"

Jean quickly took a step forward and had a hand out toward Lauren. "Lauren, go to sleep."

Lauren immediately went slack as her eyes shut. She didn't fall, though; using her telekinesis, Jean kept her upright, then slowly laid her back. Gambit was stunned by her outbursts.

"What just happened?" Gambit asked. "She didn't recognize any of us."

"I don't know..." Jean began to say something else when she turned to the doorway; Gambit and the Beast turned too.

The Professor was rolling in. "I felt her distress," he explained as he wheeled over to get behind Lauren, and looked into her mind like before.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and sat back in his chair. "Why didn't I notice this before..." he mumbled quietly.

Gambit took a step forward. "Notice what, Professor? Is she hurt?"

He shook his head, to Gambit's relief. "No, she's not hurt; there's no damage to her mind. I was looking for damage, not checking her memories; that's why I missed it." He faced them. "There's nothing there; Nitall wiped her memories. I don't think she will even remember how to read or write."

"Oh no," Jean said; the Beast's proud shoulders slumped some as he sighed, disheartened.

"I don't understand what's the problem; help her like you did me," Gambit said.

"I can't, Remy," the Professor said. "You see, with you, Nitall had just blocked your memories of Lauren, and so I unblocked them. But with Lauren, there are no memories being blocked; Nitall took them all. If she was still alive, I could try to take them back and restore them to Lauren... but I can't."

"So, she doesn't remember anything... her parents; her sister; me; even her name?"

The Professor nodded sadly.

"There's no chance that it could come back?"

He shook his head. "It's all gone; her mind is blank when it should be filled with memories and knowledge."

"Mon Dieu..." Gambit fought to remain standing since he had grown weak in the legs. He couldn't tell her he loved her because she didn't know him, and would never remember him. He was a complete stranger to her again—a stranger to someone who didn't even know who they were. This was worse than his situation; her memories wouldn't come back because they never existed.

"So, what do we do now, Professor?" the Beast asked.

"Make new memories with her." He looked at Lauren. "That's all we can do."