A call to come on home

(Louisiana over ten years ago...)

(~*~Translated from French~*~)

"... So what? Dis be a bayou Neg, ain't a cage!" Belladonna Boudreaux said as she dipped her toes into the cool waters of the Mississippi river. She made herself comfortable on the bank as she watched her best friend, Remy Lebeau, carefully search the shallow water for hiding crawfish.

" Yeah well… feel like one sometimes." He said rather grimly, as he successfully snatched a large crawfish with his bare hand out of the water, and walked it over the bucket he had been collecting them in.

"It what you make it... " Belle said, ever the optimist, and as fun as it was to watch the little crawfish twist and snap their claws to escape Remy's impending boiling pot, she was bored with her life in Louisiana. She knew she was smart and full of unlimited potential, too much potential for a life that had already been pre-chosen for her by her family. She was expected to help her older brother run the crime empire her family had built generations before her. It would be a life of illegal dealings, dangerous people, paranoia, feuding, and death.

"So what you make it into Bell?" Remy asked as he dropped another member of tonight's dinner in with the others, it's beady little crawfish eyes were full of hate. Remy, however, was unsympathetic because he was forced into the same unfair life as Belle. He and Belle were an unlikely friendship, because on the other side of Belle's criminal family feud was his. The Lebeau's and the Boudreaux's had killed for so long and so often that it seemed normal. Both families were strong, wealthy, and brutal and most of all, power hungry. In each other they had found, both, a support system and a way to mutually rebel against their families by becoming best friends.

" Jus' a place ta lay m'head til Ah start mah real life, I's got plans ya know? N'you should too!" Belle urged him excitedly, she had made up her mind on leaving by the time she was ten. There was a whole world out there that she couldn't wait to get her hands on, and she wanted her friend doing the same thing. It was clear that he wasn't happy, and she hated seeing him that way. He then stepped out of the water and sat down on the bank next to his friend.

" Huh sure, Ah's not smart like you n' mah brother. Ain't jus' gonna go off n'hope fo' some sorta plan, n' land on m'feet... you could, not me-OW!" Remy said rubbing his arm, Belle had punched him as hard as she could, and she was never one to tolerate negativity from him.

" Remy! You stupider den Ah tell folks! Testin' n' rememberin' t'ings only part o'bein' smart! Yo' different smart!" Belle was tired of his unhappy and complacent attitude, he was meant for more, just like she was. They would be grownups soon, and she was determined to beat this out of Remy before she left.

" 'Different smart' be called 'stupid' Bell-Ah! Stop hittin' me!" Remy said angrily as he rubbed his shoulder,

" Den stop sayin' stupid stuff! You gonna get outta here, jus' like me! You be de smartest person Ah ever seen inna kitchen! You like a-a...a food genius!" She knew it sounded a little silly but it was true. Remy made food that she had never seen before, he seemed to be good at everything. Nearly every time he would bring food for them she would have a brand new favorite.

" Ain't so such t'ing' as a 'food genius', Bell. An' if dere was, it ain't me." Remy said, he was very eager to change the subject, talking about the future was just depressing.

" Den you tell me where someone up n'learns how ta make Korean food in de middle o' a Bayou!" Belle said unable to contain the giant grin, as she attempted to motivate her friend.

" Ah read ya'know..." Remy gave her a sad smile. Shortly after their talk, they had to rush home before anyone would miss them. Remy didn't realize it but this was the last day of his life as he knew it. It was the last day he had before his powers surfaced. The temperature was perfect and the catch was good, it was some of the best crawfish he had ever made. Later that night he would be reaching for a pot handle that he didn't realize had been hanging over a burner; the metal handle was searing hot. When he grabbed onto it he immediately felt the incredible pain and screamed, but instead of the pot simply dropping to the ground once he let go it began to glow and it exploded. The explosion destroyed half the kitchen: the oven, wall and cabinets. Only a second later his father and brother would run in and go to his side, they blamed a gas leak. Remy had turned away from the blast and tried shielding himself by holding up hands to protect himself. His father was almost hysterical at the sight of his youngest curled up on the floor terrified and burnt. When Remy tried to explain what had happened, his father shushed him and told him to rest.

~*~"Father, I did it! It was my fault! I-"~*~ The frightened boy begged his father to listen, something was happening that he didn't understand. He had an some sort of instinct to avoid touching anything, thankfully that wasn't difficult, his father and the doctor they called made sure nothing came close to his burnt hands.

~*~" Stop Remy! You need to rest up and not worry. You didn't do anything wrong, doctor says you're fine."~*~ Jean-Luc was thankful that the worst his son got was first degree burns, his hands had stayed unusually red but the doctor had assured him that, that is what first degrees looked like and after some time and a little rest he would be fine.

~*~"No! No I'm not! My hands aren't right-"~*~ Remy begged, but his father put a finger to his lips to silence him.

~*~" It's okay! What happened downstairs scared me too! But there is nothing wrong with you and you didn't do anything wrong. Now lay down, and rest!"~*~ Jean-Luc said, he was satisfied when Remy finally lamented and slammed his head against his pillow, frustrated and defeated. ~*~" Good, you see. In the morning it will be better."~*~ He said and then before leaving the room, he kissed his son on the head, thankful that his son was safe and switched off the light.

~*~"Something isn't right."~*~ Remy thought, as he held his hands up by his face and inspected them. "They ain't burnt...don' even hurt..." Remy said to himself softly. He then sat up and looked around his room, trying to make sense of what had happened, his eyes wandered and he noticed a small white down feather poking out of his comforter, slowly and cautiously he reached for it, and held it between his thumb and forefinger. He felt the soft, lightness of it for a moment before it began to glow. Remy's mouth dropped open, as he quickly released it and it snapped apart, leaving a fist-sized burnt hole on his blanket. He stared at the burn, and breathed heavily in fear; he could make no sound, ~*~" WHAT WAS THAT?! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!"~*~ Remy's panicked young mind thought. "B-B-Bell! Gotta c-call Bell!" Remy quietly stammered to himself. After the house had gone quiet and asleep Remy walked soundlessly downstairs. Remy would knock the phone open his elbows and dialed the number with his nose. It rang of painstakingly amount of times before Belle picked it up.

~*~"Remy? Do you know what time it is?"~*~ Belle said groggily, Remy usually never called her. It was too risky for them to be on the phone, despite having her own phone, they never wanted to risk being caught talking to each other.

~*~" Bell! I-I need you! Something is wrong with me! F-Father won't listen! I blew up my kitchen with my hands! Its something in my hands!"~*~ Remy was frantic on the phone and it took all of his focus not to raise his voice above a whisper as he attempted to explained the unbelievable situation. He was very aware of how crazy he sounded but Belle was the only person that would believe him.

~*~"Wait, wait! What are you saying? I don't understand!"~*~ Bella was blindsided, her friend sounded so irrational and frightened, that she didn't care that he was making no sense.

~*~" I don't either! I can't stop making my hands explode things!"~*~ Remy tried to re-explain himself but there was no version of this didn't sound insane.

~*~" Calm down, Neg! I don't know what's happening, but can you meet me at the swim spot?"~*~ Bell thought she would have no issue sorting this all out once she was face to face with him.

~*~" Yeah, hurry!"~*~

(The Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters; Present day...)

It had been a mercifully quiet weekend for the students at the Xavier Institute, but being the type of people that they were, it would not remain that way. Scott Summers current leader of the X-men answered the front door expecting either some sort of delivery person or perhaps even Bobby, whom was developing the annoying habit of forgetting his keys, but definitely not the small silent boy that was currently standing on their doorstep.

"Oh, hello can I help you?" Scott asked. He was perhaps seven or eight with an abundant amount of soft light-brown curls he had that were wildly sticking every which way. His skin was the same honey-brown as his large eyes, however he was caked in dirt, which made him look darker. The boy simply stared at him through his hair with his big sad brown eyes but he did not say a word. "Are you okay? Are you alone?" Scott questioned. The boy continue to look around the large mansion and then back at him, still with no answer to Scott's questions "Okay, not much of a talker." Scott feared that the boy might have been abandoned, he didn't look like a mutant but neither did a lot of their current student body. He attempted to find some sort of clue by looking behind the boy and to the sides of the doorstep to see if there was somebody with him, but there was no car in the driveway. When he looked back at the spot where the boy was standing he had already invited himself in. Scott didn't even see him walk past him "Okay. I guess just come in then." Scott said mildly irritated. Scott approached him and asked again "Are you alone?" Scott noticed he eyes widen as he stepped closer and he began to tremble, at that point Scott gave up and went to plan B: "Jean!" he called out. He was unsure of how to approach this, he was never the type kids were drawn to. He was much more comfortable with dealing with adults. "Jean!" Scott called out again.

"Is there a reason you're yelling instead of using the intercom-Oh, who's this?" Jean Grey entered the foyer and immediately noticed their young guest.

"I don't know. He won't talk to me, maybe you'll have better luck." Scott replied and breathed a sigh of relief and was thankful when Jean took control of the situation.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Jean asked sweetly, but all he did was look up at her with big sad light brown eyes, his perfectly heart shaped face and perfectly bow lips charmed her. Jean then noticed the caked dirt and dust on his face. "Have you been sleeping outside?" Jean asked softly, as her heart melted at the sight of the little boy pouting his full lips, and shuffling his little feet.

"Are you hurt?" Scott asked, but received the same response Jean got, but now he looked frightened. "Maybe he doesn't speak English. Do you want to try looking around?" Scott purposed a mental scan of the boy's mind.

"Yeah, maybe I should. Just quick enough to see if he's hurt, and a language check." Jean reasoned, as she began to kneel down to the boy's eye level he began to cry.

~*~"Please miss, I am lost! Do not come so close!"~*~ the young boy recoiled and put his hands up in front of him to protect himself. Jean immediately pulled back not wanting to frighten him any more than he already was. She was glad he didn't run from her, but she didn't understand why he wouldn't if he was so scared, but she was thankful nonetheless.

"French, he speaks French. Hmmm, that could be a problem. I took four years of Spanish." Jean sadly smiled, the poor thing was terrified and he was possibly one of the most adorable little boys she had ever seen and it broke her heart that she was scaring him.

"German." Scott shrugged, as he pointed a thumb at himself.

"I don't feel right rooting around in his head with how scared he is, better get Gambit. Stay with him I'll be back."

"Me stay? W-wait...great." Scott tried to offer looking for Gambit instead, but Jean had already disappeared down the hall. He was clearly uncomfortable staying with their little guest, "So...French huh? That's...cool." The awkward conversation caused the little boy's face to look less scared and more confused as he raised his little brow at the man with the silly sunglasses.

Jean found Gambit relatively quick, he was napping in the rec room. She walked up behind the couch that was facing the door and looked down at his sleeping face. She hated how attractive he was, she found herself volunteering for situations that would allow them to be alone for a short periods time. His attention felt alarmingly good, however she believed Gambit was also to blame, he knew what he was doing, being the big flirt he was. This time, however, she had no one to blame but herself as she watched him sleep. Scott's eyes were always covered with sleeping goggles; she had forgotten what the eyes of a sleeping man looked like, and Gambit was a particularly excellent example. She leaned over the back of the couch and gently shook his shoulder. "Remy? Time to get up, we need you." Jean softly attempted to rouse him politely. To her 'dismay', he groaned and simply shifted onto his back, fully exposing this bare chest. Storm had reasoned with him and he had agreed to start wearing hoodies, but since he never zipped them up it defeated the purpose. "Oh come on, Remy." Jean said as she pretended not to enjoy the view. She then placed her hand on his chest and pressed down several times. "Wake up-" Jean demanded, but gasped as Remy, with his eyes still closed, seized Jean's wrist and pulled her on top of him.

"You be needin' somet'ing, Jean?" Remy smiled up at her bright red face and angry mouth.

"I need you downstairs now!" Jean demanded, blushing uncontrollably and almost panicking at how simple it would be to kiss him.

"Wha's wrong wit' right here?" Remy suggested in a sultry coo, as he tightened his hands around her waist. He lived for this game, and since living here at the institute forced him to cut down on his favorite vices such as stealing, conning, lying, drinking and so forth he took great enjoyment in conversing with the lovely ladies of Xavier's school.

"Ugh! You pig! Get downstairs!" Jean said as she slapped his bare chest with both palms before quickly standing on her own two feet. "Your linguistic skills are needed, we have a visitor here that doesn't speak English." She was quick to change the mood of the conversation, seeing as Scott could tell by the look on her face that she was clearly guilty.

"Dat stung you know?" Remy informed Jean as he rubbed his chest.

"Hey, you got off light! Now hurry up." Jean practically snapped at him, she was hopelessly red and covered in guilt thanks to him.

"So whose here?" Gambit asked as he smiled smugly, that little stunt would definitely hold him over until this afternoon. He figured that even though she hit him, the game was still on due to the simple fact that she never actually told him to stop, which would effectively end their little back and forth, but she never did.

"We're hoping you could tell us. He speaks French. He looks about seven maybe, and he looks like he's been on the road a while. So far we can't get him to speak a word of English." Jean said straightening her shirt.

" Really? A mutant?" Gambit asked, as he struggled a bit to which gears from sleepy and oversexed to X-man.

"If he is, it's not obvious. Maybe you could ask him where his parents are. Scott?" Jean said as they walked through the foyer and into the sitting room.

"I got him to sit in the living room. He's still afraid of me." Scott shrugged, small children weren't really his thing, apparently. The look on Jean's face caught Scott's attention and he immediately turned his attention to Gambit.

"What?" Gambit asked, understanding full-well why he was being eyed.

"Why do I have the urge to hit you?" Scott said not at all understanding why he felt the need to do so. The feeling was somewhat overwhelming even though he had no idea why he wanted to.

" Most men do, but who dis?" Gambit said paying little attention to Scott's implied, though accurate, accusation.

~*~ "Hello. They tell me you need some help. Are you hurt or lost?"~*~ Remy asked, hoping to get answers out of the small boy.

~*~ "I-I do not know!"~*~ the little boy answered in almost a panic and stepped away from the man attempting to understand him.

~*~" No need to cry, can we start with your name? My name is Remy "~*~ Remy asked gently. The boy mumbled a response, so Remy leaned in closer. To his surprise the boy's face changed once he learned Gambit's real name. He stopped being scared and timid and looked up at Remy, unafraid to look directly into his eyes.

~*~ Elie Boudreaux.~*~ The boy smugly smiled. Remy's face dropped, he felt as though someone grabbed his heart and began to squeeze it.

"Remy?" Jean asked, the look on Remy's face was a sudden fear, just like he had witnessed a horrible accident.

"Dat ain't yo' name..." Remy said as his voice began to grow in anger, ~*~ "What is this? Who sent you?!"~*~ This had to be some sort of joke, or maybe this was his father's sick way of getting him back to New Orleans, but despite the inexcusable mind games his father would play, this type of thing didn't seem like him.

~*~ "No one ever said you had a problem hearing...Uncle Remy."~*~ Elie completely abandoned the frightened and timid facade he had, and even smiled when Gambit grabbed him by the collar and nearly lifted him off the ground.

~*~ "Assassins are dead! Who sent you?!"~*~ Remy demanded. The Assassins had been extinct for years, so he had thought. He had suspected that some of them had resurfaced when his father was kidnapped months ago. He had always suspected that someone was trying to revive Assassins Guild again, and kidnapping the leader of the Thieves Guild was a good start, but everything went quiet shortly after that. Gambit's father had assured him that it was a freak occurrence of a few lucky Assassin wannabes, calling themselves 'Rippers'. It could have easily been a lie, but Remy very much wanted to believe it, and did, until now.

"Gambit!" Jean exclaimed. She was especially shocked when the boy began laughing at him. She immediately began to scan the boys mind and all she got was a first person view of the little boy stealing and manipulating his way up to New York from Louisiana. The only other clue she saw was of a figure sitting behind a long table, in a room full of candles. The figure smiled down at him and pointed out the door and sent to give his message.

"What are you doing?!" Scott demanded. Both Scott and Jean began to pull the two apart but Remy held up a hand to stop them, and then the boy began to speak, and not just speak but also threaten.

"Yo' time come Thief! Dis be a message ta come on home! Dey say de game be real dis time!" The boy demanded in English, as he drew a stitch-blade intended for Gambit's arm, however he knew the boy would try something like that and was on alert. No matter how small the Assassin, all of them are the same; trained to kill Thieves. Gambit grabbed the boy's wrist and whipped the blade out of his hand.

"Dere ain't no home fo' me down dere no mo'! It's over! Go on back n'tell 'em that!" Remy shouted angrily, he paid no attention that he was shouting at a child or that it was useless to do so; he knew that this was no joke. The Assassins had to be back.

"You say ta me? You gonna have ta say it ta all Assassins if you don' come! Dey come here an' drag you back! An' Ah see! Ah see you got friends up in 'ere! Don' wan' no one ta get hurt? Den you come! You come right quick! O' yo'Daddy pay de price!" The child said loudly and unafraid of Remy or his friends.

"Ahh!" Gambit called out as Elie threw a handful of powder in his eyes that made a thick cloud similar to smoke. In his rage Gambit had forgotten to look at the boy's other hand. The cloud was so thick even Jean began to cough and was hopelessly blind.

"I'll get him!" Scott said searching the stinging cloud for the little assailant, not noticing the boy jumping through the large open windows of the living room.

"Don't! Let 'em go!" Gambit ordered, as he rubbed his stinging eyes with one hand and grabbing Scott with the other. He offered them no other information as he turned and felt his way to the kitchen to flush out his eyes. Jean and Scott looked at each other for a moment before going after Gambit for an explanation.

"Gambit, what the hell was that?!" Scott demanded. Jean took Gambit's arm and quickly led him to the sink.

" It was...personal." Gambit said sternly, this was no one's business but his own. He had respect enough for his calling card that he let the boy go; Thieves and Assassins had their own set of laws and rules. The next move was Remy's: would he respond and come home or would he accept the consequences of rejecting the invitation?

" What did he throw at you?" Jean asked as she assisted Gambit. Her own eyes watered and stung. Once she had a mind to mentally scan for the boy he was already out of range; no wonder that the Assassins would choose their fastest and slipperiest to deliver their message.

"Ash…" Remy said. He was as annoyed as he was nostalgic, he had been taught the same thing when he was that boy's age. It was still just as effective now as it was back in the day.

"Who was he and what was that warning about? He was talking about New Orleans wasn't he?" Jean asked, full of concern. This is Gambit's past and it finally caught up to him, but it is found out where he was living and it was dangerous enough to threaten his life and mean it.

"Like Ah said, personal." Gambit repeated, he knew this was bad and he tried to keep calm as he decided what to do next. First he had to find a way to convince the others to stay away from him and then he would go to New Orleans and deal with what should have been dealt with years ago.

"Personal or not, Gambit, that kid threatened you, then attacked you!" Jean reasoned this problem couldn't be so big that they couldn't band together as they usually did to save each other. It was true Jean had no idea what to expect but she was confident that the X-men would handle it and help Gambit like a family should.

"Sure did." Gambit tried to remain as an engaging as possible but deep down he was panicking. The boy had mentioned his father, he also said that this, time the game was real. Those were clearly not the boys words somebody had told him to say that someone in power. Where was his father? Where was his brother? He had been so preoccupied with his new life as an X-man that he just noticed that neither of them had contacted him in months. We're the Assassins really back? And most terrifying of all, did Belladonna have something to do with this? Would he finally find out if she was alive? He quickly changed his mind, there was no way Belladonna could be alive, not after all this time. He could not face the possibility that she had been alive all this time and he had never gone back for her. His mind raced with possibilities and the thoughts were driving him insane. He tried not to look as anxious as he was.

"He threatened us too, Gambit." Scott said sternly. He had anyways knew that the X-men would have to pay a pretty heavy price for admitting Gambit to the team. If it was his decision he would never have allowed him to join up, but he was out-voted. He had a feeling that the next few days would prove that Gambit was more trouble than he was worth.

"Only if Ah don' come. Ah'm goin', but it ain't got nothin' ta do wit' de X-men. Jus' me." The fear that Gambit felt in the pit of his stomach almost paled in comparison to the intense anxiety he felt. He had to know what was going on in New Orleans and what they wanted with him. He fairly accept the fact that he was going to be killed or at least there would be some sort of attempt made on his life, but he refused to let anyone else get involved.

"You are an X-man, so yes it does. That kid said to get home quick. The blackbird is as quick as it gets. It'll be there before that kid does, if we get going now we could surprise-" Scott was already deciding on who to bring to New Orleans.

"No. Ah know ya'all mean well, dis got nothin' ta do wit' y'all." Gambit tried politely decline their help, they just didn't understand what was at stake. There was nothing they could do and this was strictly a family matter.

" Gambit, think for a second, if you're going, then they know you're coming and its going to be you against how many? Do you even know? You can't deny you could use a second set of eyes." Jean reasoned.

" I was there the last time your father was threatened and that was no walk in the park. Jean's right, another pair of eyes will be the only chance you got." Scott said, as he came to know Gambit, Scott was finding less and less of him was worth knowing. What had just happened beautifully proved his point, even on a quiet afternoon Gambit always found a way to bring life-threatening problems to their door. Scott resented that fact he was secretive and difficult to trust; he also had an issue with taking orders and to a lesser extent he didn't care for how he treated Rogue. He felt that Gambit had been on his own for so long that being part of a group wasn't worth the training they had to put into him, however he was overruled by Professor Xavier. The Professor felt that he was indeed useful and deserve a second chance. And, though he had proven himself a few times it was not nearly enough to satisfy Scott. The fact that they share the x-gene was the only reason Gambit was there. If they had not been born mutants, Gambit would just be a criminal and Scott would have never associated with him in the first place.

"You ain't got eyes ta give, Cyke." Gambit said sarcastically, " N' dis is me, only me." He could barely manage a convincing argument, ~*~" Oh, God Bell is dis you?"~*~ Remy thought fearfully, he didn't have time to argue with them, he needed to get down to New Orleans.

"Remy, do you really think you can stop us from following you? The last time you followed me it saved my life, I-we owe you." Jean said squeezing his arm. She was only mildly annoyed by Scott's disapproving look as she convinced Remy to take their help by looking into his eyes and comfortingly touching his muscular arm. This was another issue that Scott had with him Jean always seemed pay just a little too much attention to him and though Scott could not deny that his eyes wandered also, Gambit was very receptive to her. That couldn't help but make a boyfriend's eye twitch when he saw it. Despite Scott's disapproval, she succeeded in making him cave.

"Fine, but not Rogue." Remy insisted, but this conflicted with Scott's plans.

"Rogue is more familiar with the terrain than you-"Scott said referring to the days before Gambit had joined their ranks and he had kidnapped Rogue to retrieve his father. Since Remy had been away from the organized crime life he had led in New Orleans for so long he had no idea where anything was anymore. Rogue had absorbed information from man that was rumored to be a part of a group called the Rippers. Remy had suspected that it was a possible subsidiary group trying to revive the extinct Assassins Guild, at the time he had dismissed it as paranoia. At at one point Remy had hoped to get additional information from Rogue when she had touched the alleged Rippers member, she never mentioned anything, but she did succeeded in retrieving the information they needed to rescue his father, and it had worked like a charm; that was all that had mattered.

"Ah don' want none o'you comin' out in the first place, but you don' know wha' dis all 'bout n' Ah do! Rogue sits dis one out!" Remy was most insistent.

"Now that would be Scott's call wouldn't it, Remy?" Rogue said as she entered the room. She had only heard the tale end of the conversation, the part that involved her. The mood was tense and impossible to ignore.

"Rogue…." Remy said, unable to put together a sentence.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue's question was directed at all three of them but she really only wanted Gambit's answer.

"We have a situation. It's calling for us to get a team down to New Orleans." Scott said. He could not see them going to New Orleans without Rogue, she was too integral. She understood the social environment, she had intimate knowledge of the area, and most importantly, to him, she served as excellent alternative distraction from his girlfriend.

"This is you?" Rogue directed her question at Gambit and he nodded, "An' you don't want me goin'?" Rogue said pointing at herself. Gambit let his arm fall to his sides in minor defeat, he didn't have time for this.

"Can Ah talk ta you?" Gambit asked in a serious low voice.

"Sure." Rogue said slowly, as she allowed Gambit to lead her into the hallway. At this point she was halfway furious with him, he had been avoiding her for weeks with no explanation as to why. He had been in the infirmary for nearly a month and most of that was in a coma. A coma he had incurred while her saving her life, after he had awoke he had developed a sort of anxiety around her, he gave no explanation as to what was going on and it made her furious. She miraculously kept her temper and check as she calmly reasoned with him.

"Not tryin' ta hide anythin', but Ah don' know wha' Ah'm gonna find down dere, but none of it gonna be good. Ah don' wan' you in it." Remy said as sincerely as he could, he would say almost anything at that point to get Rogue not to go to back to New Orleans.

"Scott had a point, Remy. If you're goin' where Ah think you're goin', Ah know my way around. You don't." Rogue reasoned, she knew full well that Gambit's estranged wife maybe involved, but he didn't owe her anything. Whatever chance they had together wasn't defined as anything she could understand just yet, but what she knew for sure was that he was in trouble and she could help.

"Ah'll manage." Gambit assured her. He had noticed her obviously change in the last two months since acquiring her new powers from the mutate-hating persona of Carol Danvers, a persona whom was now residing in the base of Rogue's subconscious. Physically she had been changing as well, her attire was becoming more revealing, she was wearing less makeup and visibly smiling more. He didn't want to be a source of hurt for her.

"Ah already know what Ah know, Remy. Made peace with it; but what good is gonna come from you stumbling around in the dark? Its full a'people ready ta kill you or whatever it is they want from you… Ah'm able ta help. So Ah will." Rogue smiled, "We'll be fine- Ah'll be fine. Okay?"

"Have it yo' way, Cher." Remy said sadly, he now knew exactly how death row inmates felt when they were being lead down the long hall toward their deaths, no use to run or even say anything. Rogue watched as he turned his back to her and disappeared down the hall.

"Rogue?" Jean asked as she poked her head out of the door way.

"Mmm?" Rogue asked, and looking down the empty hallway.

"Scott's putting a team together, you, Kurt, Bobby, himself and me. We're meeting in the hanger, wheels up in 15. Rogue? Are you listening?" Jean asked, she had hit her stride with a Rogue and understood her a little better after that what they've been through together after Genosha. Rogue would come to her if she needed to talk, she was uncomfortable being approached.

"Yeah, sorry Ah just wish he wasn't so damn cryptic about everything. Man's gonna get himself killed." Rogue said shaking her head sadly.

"Not if we can help it." Jean smiled reassuringly.

"Right." Rogue responded not completely convinced. "Meet ya in the hanger." She said as she hurried off to get into uniform.