She was cornered, "Leave meh alone! Stop!"

She tried to block but the man punched her in the gut. She staggered backwards into the building wall, getting hit in the face by another man. A third man kicked her legs out from under her. She fell to the ground as the repeatedly kicked and punched her. She tried to block as best as she could but it was no use. She looked at the bracelet stuck to her wrist. What she wouldn't give to have some powers right now. She let out a scream as she felt something crack in her stomach. She coughed up blood as her vision began to blur. One final blow to the face knocked her out.

The men laughed as they began to grab at her, each fighting about who would go first. A card landed in front of them before exploding. The men went flying backwards. He came into the ally followed by two women. His heart sank as he saw the blood stained girl laying on the ground helpless. One of the women pointed out the bracelet on her arm. A deactivator for mutant powers. So she was a mutant. He wondered what she could have done to these men if she had her powers. He went over and examined her face, she would look extremely attractive if she wasn't covered in blood and bruises in a dark ally. The white of her bangs stained red, the rest of her hair long and brown. It was all matted together. These men had been beating her long before she'd even been trapped in the ally.

"Gambit, we need to take her with us," the white haired woman stated.

He scooped the girl up in his arms, "Alright Storm, ah got her. Poor t'in' didn't even 'ave a chance t' defend herself. Dey betta pray ah neva come back 'ere lookin' t' start somet'in'. Come on Red, y' 'eard da woman"

They made their way out of the ally. They loaded the X-jet which stayed hidden in the marshy area of the bayou. In the jet a blue, fuzzy man went to work on the girl. Gambit looked over his shoulder every now and then to make sure he was doing his job right. The man pushed him away several times before Gambit actually got the hint and took his seat. A man with metal claws laughed at the impatient boy but turned his head every now and then towards the bloodstained girl. He shook his head, three grown men beating and trying to rape an innocent girl.

"Hey Wolverine, how long 'til Beast is down wit' her," Gambit asked impatiently.

Wolverine rolled his eyes, "Hey McCoy, how much longer with the girl?"

"I am unable to say at the moment," Beast examined the girl further, "She has multiple cuts and bruises, her ribs appear to be cracked and her head wound is deep," his expression saddened when he went on, "Also, she has defensive wounds and bruising on her inner thigh. Whoever put this bracelet on her did it for a reason. I fear this girl has been violated before but either the men who were after her or someone else."

Gambit's jaw clenched, "Dat ain't right. Takin' away da only t'in' she had t' protect herself wit' den doin' somet'in' like dat. Makes meh sick."

"Shades, how much longer is this ride," Wolverine asked the man driving the jet.

Cyclops looked at a screen, "About twenty minutes, Jean, do you think you can try and learn some stuff about this girl before we get home."

Jean nodded. She walked over to Beast, waiting for him to give her the okay as he worked. When she got the signal she placed both hands on the side of the girls head. Inside there was a girl, running from a man. He smiled as he caught her. She tried to resist by placing her hands on his bare arm. Slowly he began to weaken, but not before clasping the bracelet around the girls wrist. The tugging sensation instantly stopped. The girl backed away in fear, trying to run again. He scooped her up in his arms again, kissing the side of her face, his hands moving…

"My god," Jean panted, "That's too much," she began to tear up, "She was so young and innocent. She tried to get away but…but she couldn't and he…he violated her. Again and again. And he let others."

Gambit looked away. So she was the girl. The one that he'd seen as a child cowering in a corner when he'd go to see Belladonna. It must have been the girl Julien was always bragging about. He looked back, her eyes. They were always so beautiful, like green emeralds but always so afraid. He looked away again, thinking how he'd always sort of been in love with her. It even cause the split between he and Belladonna. And now her she was all these years later, all grown up and…well developed. He looked to the others, they didn't know. They didn't know anything about his past and now here was one of the few people that could out him for the monster he used to be.

He looked back at her again. She had to be at least seventeen, had ten years passed by already. It had to have, last time he saw her he was twelve. After a certain point he was no longer welcome around Belladonna house, not that that had stopped the two of them from meeting. He'd left to join the X-Men when he was sixteen, never looking back at his past life. He'd learned so much in that time and had forgotten all about the girl locked in the basement, the girl being used for Julien's enjoyment. They landed with a thump, forcing Gambit back into reality. He looked to Beast as the door opened, implying that he would carry the girl in.

He followed Beast down to the Med Lab, placing her on the examining table. After that Beast shooed him out, telling him to go talk to the Professor. He did as he was told reluctantly. Instead of finding the Professor he went in search of his girl. Tabitha, also known as Boom Boom was a real "freak in the sheets" and he decided he needed a good tumble after the day he'd had. She smirked as he close the door behind him. Sadly, Professor had given up on the no sex in the mansion rule. None of the teens seems to listen and all of them used protection so he just decided to lecture and guilt but let it go as long as the younger students hadn't found out. He'd gotten to some but Gambit wasn't one of them.

He finished with Tabitha and left, deciding he'd take a shower to get rid of the smell of sex and sweat. After his shower he pulled on a baggy shirt, some boxers and a pair of sweat. He headed back down to the Med Lab to check on the girl with no name. Beast allowed him to come in. the girl was still asleep. She had several stitches and bandages. He walked over and touched the side of her face but pulled back quickly, noticing that there was no longer a bracelet on her wrist.

"She has control," Beast informed him, "And my tests show she is very strong. She's been trained. The bracelet, I believe, was merely a device to keep her in line so they could use her for…"

Gambit touched her face, "Ah've seen her before, when ah was a boy. Ah neva put two an' two t'getha. Jus' t'ought she was a friend of my friends. Ah feel so stupid Beast. Dis girl, ah could 'ave saved her, protected her."

Beast touched his shoulder, "Do not blame yourself, my young friend. You were young," he looked at the girl, "So this is the one you talked to Professor about. You were right, she is a very pretty girl. Maybe she will open up to you first if she remembers your face."

He smiled at Beast, who left shortly after. He prayed she didn't remember him, prayed she'd forget how he didn't help her. He placed his head in his hands, but he hadn't known. He was so young and so blind. He'd play with her when she was allowed outside, bring her little treats. He had tried to get her away from Julien once, which resulted in him no longer being allowed over to Belladonna's. He grabbed the girls hand in his.

He placed it to his lips, "Ah'm sorry."

She began to stir, causing him to pull away. She reached for her head and winced. He stayed perfectly still, not wanting to scare her. She opened her eyes and looked around. She closed her eyes again, searching for the voice she'd heard in her mind. She found Jean with ease, reading her mind to find out where she was. She opened them again, she was safe. For once in a long time she was safe. Then she turned to face Gambit. Their eyes widened as they gazed at each other. Her eyes were even more beautiful then he'd remembered. He moved in a little closer, keeping his hands in the air.

"Demon," she whispered, "After all these years, ah finally see ya again. Ya the boy, aren't ya? The one that tried t' take meh away.?"

He nodded slowly, "Yes ma'am."

She touched the side of his face, going through all his memories for a moment, "Thankya," she pulled her hand away, "Thankya for finally savin' meh, Remy."

His eyes widened, "What did y' jus' call meh?"

She looked him in the eyes, "Ah called ya Remy. Remy LeBeau, the one that Belladonna used t' bring ova."

He stood up, "Don't call meh dat name here, ah go by Gambit."

She flinched at the motion of him standing, "Ah'm sorry Remy."

Something about the way she said his name just pulled at his heart strings. He loved the way it sounded leaving her month. He sat back down, telling her that only she was allowed to call him Remy and that she had no reason to fear him. She let out a sigh, trying her best not to be on edge. She looked down, noticing all the bandages on her. She'd really been beaten this time. This is what she got for running away. She thought of all the times she'd tried before.

"They're gonna find meh," she whimpered.

"Non," Gambit took her hands in his, "What's y' name chere?"

"Rogue," she looked away from him.

"Rogue," he voice was smooth as honey, "Ah will not let dem hurt y' eva again. Ah promise ah'll protect y', no matta what."