Hi. I started this as just a fun exercise to get back into writing, but I suspect I may have got a little carried away... :) This is going to be bit dark I expect; I've got a vague idea of where it's going but I'd really appreciate any feedback or thoughts. Anyway, I always thought that for Remy to have survived as well as he did he had to have a bit of a cruel streak, so this is my attempt to have a look at it. I'm not an amazing writer so any reviews are most welcome. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

There was pain. Rogue groaned and tried to open her eyes. Her head was pounding and she was in complete, stifling darkness. She was lying on her side on something hard and her breathing filled her ears. Everything hurt.

She tried to move but couldn't pull her arms from behind her back. She tried to struggle, not understanding. Tied up something in her head whispered.

"Wakey wakey", a voice grated near her ear and the blackness disappeared as a cloth was ripped from her face. She blinked frantically at the sudden brightness and instinctively jerked away from the snarling face bent over her, making her ribs and shoulder flare with pain. She stifled a groan and tried to glare up into the narrowed yellow eyes. There was something heavy and cold around her neck.

"That will be all, Victor," said a calm, far away voice, and the face vanished as the figure stood up abruptly.

"What?" he snarled from above her.

"I said, that will be all," the voice repeated coldly, "you will continue your task." Rogue managed to focus long enough to see 'Victor' looking down lecherously at her. Creed, something in her muzzy head whispered.

"Sure you don't need a hand with her?" he asked slyly, grinning down at her with pointed yellow teeth. Rogue began to move again and had to bite down on her tongue as her ribs flared with pain, but managed to roll herself onto her stomach swallowing down a wave of nausea.

"I believe I can manage," the voice replied sardonically. Magneto, something in Rogue's brain murmured as her head began to clear. Victor hovered reluctantly over her for a few seconds, then retreated with a snarl, stalking away angrily. A door slid shut, then there was silence.

Rogue lay still for a moment, her cheek pressed against the cold floor and her breathing all she could hear. She wasn't sure how she'd got there, but if Sabretooth and Magneto were involved then she was in very serious trouble. Well, she told her aching body grimly, she could lie here and wait for it to happen to her, or she could get up and do something about it.

Slowly but surely she began to work her knees up under her chest. Looking around wearily she realised she was next to a wall, having been dumped into the corner of the room while she was unconscious. Agonisingly slowly she began to lever herself up into a kneeling position, leaning against the wall for support. Her hands were still bound behind her back and by the time she'd managed it she was exhausted from the effort. She stayed there, breathing hard as her head pounded and the world lurched sickeningly until the nausea passed enough for her to raise head gingerly.

"Good evening, Rogue." Rogue's head spun round with a jolt of panic towards the voice behind her, heart almost bursting out of her chest. Magneto was sitting behind an enormous desk writing calmly. He didn't look up as Rogue tried to stand, then wavered and slumped back down the wall.

"Whe..." Rogue coughed at her dry throat, "where... am Ah?"

"You are at my base of operations," Magneto replied still writing, then raised his head and gave her a small, hard smile, "you will of course forgive me if I do not give you address." Rogue stared at him.

"Wha... am Ah...?"

"You are here because your knowledge of us has become too much of a liability." Magneto interrupted looking solemnly at her. Rogue tried with difficulty to fit the words into her aching brain, then shook her head weakly. Things she knew? Was he talking about her absorption? But she didn't have any have any important information from either him or Creed, and in any case Apocalypse had wiped all the psyches from her head.

"Ah...haven't told...them anything," she said thickly, trying to make her tongue work, "Ah don't have anything...to tell..."

"On the contrary," Magneto pinned her with his penetrating gaze, "you possess an undetermined amount of information regarding our operation and the most telepath on the planet to allow you to access it." He steepled his hands on the desk in front of him and Rogue was reminded bizarrely of the the Professor.

"So what... ya just kidnap me?" Rogue asked as angrily as she could. Magneto regarded her impassively.

"The danger you pose has to be removed from the situation," he said, as calmly as if he were telling her that the sun would rise tomorrow, "there are events on the horizon which I cannot allow you to interfere with."

"Fuck that!" Rogue spat croakily. Magneto's face hardened fractionally and the cuffs on her wrists suddenly tightened. Rogue cried out despite herself as they cut painfully into her skin.

"Do not underestimate me," he said coldly, watching Rogue struggle against the writhing metal, then relaxed his hold on the cuffs. Rogue recovered herself slowly, breathing hard.

"So, what are ya gonna do with me?" she asked finally, meeting his gaze. Magneto stared back steadily and Rogue felt a sense of deep foreboding begin to crawl over her. Magneto wasn't needlessly cruel, but he was capable of doing just about anything if he believed it would further his cause. He wouldn't hesitate to kill her if he thought it was right. But, she thought desperately, she was still alive, and he'd sent Sabretooth away. Surely if he was going to kill her he would have done it already and saved himself the bother of confronting her first.

There was a knock at the door and Rogue flinched involuntarily.

"Enter," Magneto said gravely and sat back in his chair levelling his gaze at the young man who walked it, his face hard and business-like. Rogue's heart sank as she looked up to see a long brown trench coat and attractively messy hair. Of all the Acolytes bar Sabertooth, Gambit was the least understood and the most troubling. Although they had encountered him once or twice in the run-up to Apocalypse he had always remained in the background; Rogue had never even seen him use his powers. The few times he had been forced to fight the X-Men hand-to-hand he had proved himself to be lightning fast with a vicious streak that left them with a wary respect for his combat skills.

"Gambit," Magneto acknowledged calmly. Gambit glanced down as he walked in, and Rogue felt an unpleasant jolt as his red-on-black eyes gave her a cursory once-over before he turned his attention back to Magneto. He was tall, good looking in a dangerous kind of a way and moved with the easy grace of someone totally at home on their own skin. Rogue watched apprehensively as he approached the desk.

"Y' wan'ed t' see me?" His voice was deep and some distant part of Rogue's brain was surprised to hear the drawling Southern accent.

Magneto was looking hard at Gambit. "It has come to my attention that a liability must be controlled," he stated without preamble. Gambit raised an eyebrow and looked back at Rogue his eyes suddenly alight with interest. Rogue glared back at him.

"Dat so?" he asked curiously.

"I cannot afford for Charles to become involved too early," Magneto said quietly, "events must run their course." He paused his eyes not leaving Gambit, "I do not condone killing where it is not necessary, but I cannot risk the girl at this time." Rogue stared at him, fear climbing; he couldn't risk her? Magneto continued to watch Gambit for a some time then, finally, seemed to reach a decision. "She is yours," he said evenly, "take her away."

Gambit blinked; "mine?" he asked in mild surprise as Rogue's heart jumped horribly, "what y' wan' me t' do wit' her?"

"Whatever you like," Magneto replied dismissively, "keep her out of the way." Gambit turned to look at her again, then a slow grin began to spread across his face. He walked over to Rogue and lowered himself into a crouch in front of her, examining her steadily. Rogue's lip curled at the look in his eyes.

"Anythin' I like?" he asked slyly.

"That is what I said," Magneto replied calmly.

Rogue gritted her teeth and her hands clenched into fists behind her back; "Ah wouldn't get any ideas," she snarled roughly, "touchin' me ain't good for yah health."

Gambit completely ignored her; "What's y' policy on sharin'?" he asked casually, glancing back up at the desk.

"Whatever you wish," Magneto sounded impatient.

"Creed?" Gambit asked idly, his gaze on Rogue as her eyes widened in alarm.

"Creed," Magneto said sharply, "is a degenerate animal."

"Ah," Gambit nodded agreeably, "jus' checkin' 's all." He grinned at Rogue's shaken expression, "y' de fille who absorbs people, oui?" Rogue glared on him.

"Come any closer an' Ah'll give yah a demonstration," she bit out fiercely.

Gambit laughed delightedly then leaned toward her, his strange eyes sparkling. "Dat collar roun' y' neck tellin' me different cherie." Rogue froze as he grinned at her, suddenly unsure; the collar? Gambit straightened abruptly and and Rogue looked up at him in alarm. "Get up," he said evenly.

"Fuck yah," Rogue spat out, knowing full well she couldn't stand if she wanted to. Gambit sighed then bent, grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pulled her forcibly to her feet. Rogue cried out as her wrenched her shoulder then fell back against the wall as her head spun sickeningly.

Gambit shook his head; "an' here I was thinkin' y' were gonna be fun," he looked at her appraisingly, then something in his face hardened and his voice lost its easy drawl. "C'mon," he said curtly, grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her towards the door. Rogue stumbled but managed to stay on her feet, trying to control her mounting panic. This was happening too fast; this morning she'd woken up worrying about a math test and now... She glanced once over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Magneto still sitting at his desk, his face cast in harsh shadow from the light of the desk lamp, looking old and majestic. There was no point appealing to him, she knew; he was the most powerful mutant in this base, it was to her advantage to get away from him for now.