Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I am going to have to warn everyone that Tabitha did not survive. (Ducks as people throw things) She serves my story better dead. Sorry.

Chapter 10

Rogue and Remy got the hospital as fast as they could after hearing the news of the attack. Kitty arrived shortly after them hysterical about her friends. Piotr followed her in looking lost and useless. Rogue ran over to Kitty and pulled her in for a hug. "This is terrible! How could this happen to us? Nothing like this has never happened to anyone I knew before!"

"Shh, everything is going to be alright." Rogue searched for something to comfort her friend with but didn't know what to say. All she could do was sit and cry along with Kitty over the death of a friend. Tabitha had died on the way to the hospital and had been announced dead on arrival. It was hard for everyone to accept the fact that the blonde who had been so full of life this morning was dead. Rogue wished that she had been the one sent to guard the girls. Maybe she could have done something to stop Sabertooth and then Tabitha would still be alive. As if she knew what Rogue was thinking Kitty hugged her harder and said, "Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known what would happen." Rogue just nodded and the two friends held on to each other until the doctor came out with news about Jubilee. She had been taken into surgery as soon as she arrived at the hospital to remove the bullets. The cop that had survived the attack was being stitched up where he had been slashed across his face.

Everybody jumped up as the doctor came into the waiting room. "Well, she is going to be fine physically. Emotionally is another story as she just saw her friend and a cop killed." Everybody nodded thinking about how horrible it must have been for her.

"Can we see her now?" Kitty asked the doctor.

The doctor nodded and said, "Only one at a time for now. She's is emotionally distraught and we don't want to overwhelm her with everyone coming in at once. Has anyone notified her parents?"

Rogue answered, "We called as soon as we heard the news. They should be here shortly."

The doctor nodded and excused himself to check on some of his other patients. As he left the doors opened once again and admitted Jubilee's parents. "Where is she? Is she OK? Can we see her?"

"Please calm down ma'am," Logan said as he came up to her. "The doctor was just out to let us know that she will be OK. Seeing as how he just said that she can have a couple of visitors one at a time I think that you should go see her. I will show you where her room is." Smiling weakly at the man before her Jubilee's mom and dad followed Logan back to Jubilee's room.

Not knowing what else to do the people left in the waiting room headed to the cafeteria to get something to drink. Kitty walked ahead of Rogue and Remy with Piotr's arm around her shoulders while he tried to give her a little comfort. Looking over at Rogue Remy asked, "How are you holding up chere?"

"As well as could be expected," was all the answer he got before she went back to brooding again.

Guessing at her line of thinking Remy put his arm around her a pulled her to a stop, "You couldn't have done anything chere. Those two cops were some of the best on the force and they couldn't stop him. Don't work yourself up even more by blaming yourself for something you couldn't help."

Rogue didn't look him in the eye as she nodded. She didn't want to cry anymore but she wasn't sure if she could keep the tears back anymore. She turned away from Remy as one slipped out and mumbled something about going to the restroom. Worried about her Remy decided the best anyone would be able to do would be to catch Sabertooth before he could kill anyone else.

XxX

When they got back to the station house Logan called Remy and Rogue into his office. "We need to step up our plan. If we don't catch this guy soon he might skip town again."

"He won't," Rogue said softly. She was still a little shaken up about the news they had received. Who could blame her? For all they knew she could have been the one that was killed instead of Tabitha.

"What makes you so sure?"

"It doesn't fit with the pattern. He wouldn't want to leave until he has finished what he started." Logan nodded knowing that she was right but also knowing that Sabertooth wasn't as stupid as he looked.

"Here is what we are going to do. We know that he watched his subjects to learn their habits and see when they are the most vulnerable. So we are going to keep up the pretense of everything being normal. When Kitty gets done with her class today at 3 we are going to make it look like she is going home but we are going to move her to a hotel until our safe house is ready. Rogue, you and Remy will head back to your place after work and try to act as normal as you would for having just lost a friend. Jubilee will have round the clock guards with one inside her room and two outside. Your apartment will be surrounded by plain clothes cops trying to blend in. He probably won't attack tonight since he just killed. He usually likes to go a few days before killing again but at the same time he knows that we are on to him and will most likely try to surprise us. Be on your guard tonight but don't exhaust yourself since you will need to be even more aware of what is going on tomorrow. Any questions?"

"Yeah, what about Piotr? We don't know if he knows about him but he might and that might put him in danger if Sabertooth tries to use him to get to Kitty."

"Good point. We'll pick Piotr up and take him with Kitty. We don't want to spread the force out too thin. The main thing to remember is that Sabertooth is a mutant with a healing factor that makes it pretty much impossible to kill him. So be careful."

The two nodded and headed out of the office. They had another case that they had been given yesterday that was almost wrapped up. When they got all the reports they needed filled out they headed towards Rogue's apartment.

"How are you doing chere?" Remy asked as they walked down the street.

"Still in shock. Ah can't believe that she's gone." Shaking her head Rogue grew frustrated that tears were threatening to fall again. She knew subconsciously that there was nothing wrong with crying over a lost friend but she didn't want to do it in front of other people. She would just wait until she was safely in her bedroom.

When they reached her apartment she headed straight to the bedroom. With nothing else to keep him occupied Remy headed to the kitchen to see what was available for supper. When he couldn't come up with anything he settled with warming up some left over gumbo from the other night. While he stirred the gumbo he thought back over the events of the past few days. Things didn't seem to stop. They just built up and seemed to go faster then thoughts could keep up. He decided to think through the facts of the case again to see if there was anything that he might have missed. He was so caught up in his musings that he didn't hear Rogue enter the kitchen.

"Ah never really would have thought of you as the domestic type." She said as she went to get bowls to put their supper in. He jumped and dropped the spoon into the gumbo.

Cursing he pulled the spoon out of their supper and turned to face Rogue. "You scared Remy chere."

"Then ah am so glad that you were sent to protect me from the big bad puddy cat." Rogue smirked at him as she finished setting the table.

"Hardy har har," Remy mocked laughed. Setting the gumbo on the table he pulled her in for a quick hug.

"What was that for?" a surprised Rogue asked as she sat down to eat.

"You looked like you could use a hug," Remy shrugged as he too sat down to eat. They proceeded to eat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

XxX

At a hotel across town Kitty and Piotr were sitting on their bed. "This is cannot be happening. I'm going to wake up and found out that it was just a nightmare. Right?"

Piotr pulled his girlfriend in to a warm embrace. "I wish it was that easy Katya. Unfortunately, all of this is real but Rogue is good at her job and she will get this killer before anything else happens."

Kitty smiled up at Piotr. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I just can't seem to get my head around all the things that have happened recently."

"I know. Things will work out if you are patient." Kitty nodded into his shoulder before deciding to lay down for a nap. Piotr watched her sleep for a little while before picking up the book he had brought with him.

XxX

Back at the hospital Jubilee woke up with a start. She wasn't sure what had woke her up but she was already shaken up by the fact that she couldn't find the guard anywhere. Looking around she noticed a light on in the bathroom and figured she probably just had to go to the bathroom and the closing of the door was what had woke her up. Adjusting herself in bed she tried to doze back off. She gave up on that idea quickly though when her memories started coming back. She looked around the dark room for something to take her mind off of watching her friend die. When she couldn't find anything she just sat on her bed and cried. Wrapping her arms around herself she sat and rocked back and forth while letting the tears fall. The female cop walked out of the bathroom and saw that Jubilee was awake and upset. Sitting on the bed beside her she said, "Hi, my name is Elizabeth Braddock. I'm really sorry about what happened to your friend."

Jubilee looked up at the policewoman in front of her and gave a little smile. The woman was pretty with her Asian features and her purple died hair pulled back in a bun. "Thanks," she managed to whisper through her tears. "Could I have you get me a glass of water?"

Betsy nodded and got up to get her the water she requested. "Since we are going to be here for awhile how about we play some cards? You look like you need something to keep you busy."

Jubilee nodded before looking around for some cards. "There aren't any cards here. Where could we get some without leaving the room?"

"I'll just stick my head out into the hallway and send one of the boys outside after some." Smiling she turned and walked towards the door. Looking outside she caught one the guard's attention. "We need something to keep the patient entertained, can one of you guys get us some games to play?"

"Sure," one said before turning and walking down the hall towards the gift shop.

Jubilee and Betsy had been talking for about 15 minutes before there was a knock on the door and the guard walked into the room with some cards. "This is the best I could come up with in the gift shop."

Jubilee thanked him and then he went back to his post. Betsy opened the cards and shuffled them before deciding what game to play. "How about Texas Hold 'em?" She said before proceeding to deal out the cards. Even though Jubilee had no idea how to play she decided that learning a new game would help keep her mind off of the picture of Tabitha lying in a puddle of blood on the bathroom floor.

"You'll have to teach me how to play," she told the girl sitting across from her. They played for about three hours before the doctor came in to check on Jubilee.

"I see that you have found a way to keep our patient occupied. However, it is time for her check-up so I need you to step outside for a minute please." Betsy nodded and stepped just outside the door. The doctor did his check-up on Jubilee and then let Betsy back. "She is still weak from loss of blood so she needs to get her rest. I gave her some medicine to help her sleep and she will probably doze off in the next 15 to 20 minutes." Nodding Betsy went in to keep watch over Jubilee.

XxX

Back at Rogue's, she and Remy were once again sitting on the couch watching movies. "How about we play a game swampy?" Rogue asked as she watched Doom with Remy. This movie could be entertaining but she wasn't in the mood for a bloody kill-all movie.

"What did you want to play chere?"

"We have some board games and of course there are always cards."

"Remy is a big fan of poker. How do you feel about strip poker?"

"In your dreams swamp rat!" Rogue said. "Ah'd be willing to play poker but not if you are going to make it dirty."

"Alright, don't get snippy, I was just trying to get you to smile," Remy defended as he pulled a deck of cards out of his coat pocket.

"Sorry for snapping at you but ah'm not in the mood for dirty jokes."

"Remy understands chere. Now how about five card stud, deuces wild?"

"Deal 'em swamp rat and you will see how it feels to lose." Rogue smirked at Remy knowing that he wouldn't back down from the challenge.

They spent part of the night evenly matched at five card stud before retiring to bed. Remy took the couch while Rogue headed to her room. Unbeknown to the two in the apartment they were being watched by Sabertooth. "Sleep now because in a couple of hours you will be dead." Sabertooth said as he watched the two settle down for the night.