"Rogue?" he called her name again, concern injecting a note of panic into his tone. He tried to nudge her head up again, tried to keep her here with him; he was terrified of seeing that blank expression again. He leaned closer, reached to grip her arm gently.

He wasn't sure what to do, his breath shallow, his heart in his stomach. Helplessness wasn't a feeling he felt often, wasn't one he usually let bear down on him. But looking at the agony she was in, for even a moment, cut through him. "Sweetheart, stay with me," he breathed desperately. "Look at me."