Hi all. So I took a little break from this one...only started the new chapter on a whim after a recent review...funny that...motivation has to come from somewhere. However I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the readers who have taken the time to leave such lovely comments. It truly is appreciated.

Hope you all enjoy xox

Venomous Charm

Rogue tried to squeeze her eyes closed. She tried to ignore everything she was seeing. She didn't want to see any of it. Her hands flew to her head and she tried to breathe evenly. She glanced over at Gambit who was completely out cold on the ground. Everybody in the room was whispering and staring at her.

"What did you see?" Johnny asked impatiently.

"Blood." One word was all she could manage. Tears were pricking at her eyes. She kept seeing the scene play in her head over and over. Vincent gunning down Julian. Annabelle screaming and running over to the body of her love. Remy gunning down Vincent. Blood flying everywhere.

She felt Remy's guilt washing over her in waves. There was something else there...remorse? Self-loathing? She wasn't sure. She saw Belle's overdose and was disgusted when she saw Remy leave the murder weapon next to her body. How could he do that? How could he kill somebody?

Rogue was horrified. Both guilds were eagerly waiting to hear the truth. Rogue was the only other person that knew what that was. Vincent killed Julian...but it was up to her to decide who had killed Vincent. She could tell the truth and reveal Remy's part, or she could uphold the lie and say that Annabelle had shot her father.

"Speak up girl." Adrian urged.

"It's true...Julian and Annabelle were lovers." Rogue started.

Johnny gasped at this news about his sister.

"Vincent caught them trying to run away together. Remy was trying to smuggle them out. Vincent murdered Julian." Once Rogue had opened her mouth she was finding it hard to stop. She took a breath as another memory hit her. This was the one Gambit had prayed she wouldn't see. It was the drugs. Johnny paid for Danvers to keep Gambit supplied and he sold it off; each of them getting their cut. The "cure". Rogue was furious. The mutants that would buy it were desperate. They were the ones with physical complications; like Hank. Mutants that hurt people; like her. Young mutants that were too powerful to control their gifts. Psychic mutants that couldn't shut out the voices in their heads. The "cure" needed to be in a healthcare scheme at hospitals not sold for a profit on the black market. It could be in an experimental laboratory with scientists trying to make it more effective. It could be used to help people and instead it was being used to apprehend criminals and for exploitation for a quick dollar.

She looked down at Gambit's unconscious form and didn't even hesitate. "He killed Vincent and framed it on your sister." She said to Johnny.

The room fell silent for a moment and then Johnny lunged forward in a rage with his pistol loaded aiming for Gambit's head. Adrian stepped in front of Remy with his own gun loaded.

"Hold on a minute, an eye for an eye. Your side killed my Julian and my boy Remy here killed Vinnie. We're even."

"...My sister..."

"Belle overdosed because your old man killed her boyfriend. We're even." Adrian argued again.

Rogue left the two sides to sort it out between them; she couldn't care less anymore. Grabbing her bag she walked up to Carol.

"I want my phone so I can get out of here."

Danvers handed it over. "What about your boyfriend?"

"I don't care what happens to him right now. Just for the record; you should be ashamed of yourself." Rogue turned and walked away. She kept walking, down the hallway and right out the front door without a single look back at the Cajun lying on the floor.

She managed to hitch a ride with someone back into New Orleans and then she called Logan.

"What?" He answered his phone gruffly; it was the middle of the night.

"Logan, it's me. Can you come and get me?"

"Rogue?" He clarified.

"Please." Was all she could manage before choking back a sob.

"Where are you?"

"New Orleans."

Logan was about to ask what the hell was she doing there before realising it wasn't important. "That's too far to drive. You've got your wallet on you?"

"Yeah."

"Get to the airport and I'll make sure there's enough money in your bank account to get you on the first flight out."

"Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for kid. Call me once you know what flight you get and I'll pick you up from the airport."

Rogue sat in the airport waiting for her flight to board when her phone started vibrating. Glancing at the screen she see Remy's name light up. She chose to let it ring over to voicemail. When she dialed in she almost cried.

"Chere...I'm sorry. Remy just want's to explain. Call me."

The message was short and didn't say much. His voice sounded upset but then again Rogue didn't trust anything he had to tell her. She didn't fare much better when Logan picked her up from the airport.

"What's he done?"

"Logan; thanks for getting me home and all but I don't really wanna talk about it."

Wolverine wouldn't take that as an answer so he pulled the car over. "Talk."

"He's a criminal, and a killer. I don't trust him." Rogue started to cry. "But I love him Logan...I love him..."

"Oh boy...Marie...even if we do love someone, that doesn't mean it always works out. What do you mean he's a killer? You need to tell me what's happened."

"I've done something..." Rogue was shaking now and getting more visibly upset.

"Rogue; talk to me."

"I left him there...and I didn't care what they did to him."

"Who? Where is Gambit, who has him?" Even though he knew Rogue was hurting, Gambit was a part of their team now. He wouldn't leave one of his team behind.

Rogue just shook her head and started crying harder. She was completely overwhelmed with all of the emotions she was feeling. It didn't help that she had Gambit's feelings whirling around aswell. Logan realised he wasn't going to get anywhere like this and started up his truck. "Let's get you home."

Rogue holed herself up in her room for the next few days to clear her head. She was very depressed, not to mention the number of times she had accidentally charged up her bedroom furniture. Gambit's mutant abilities were explosive. Remy had tried to call her a number of times and she ignored all of them. Logan wanted to at least make sure that he was ok, at the end of the day he was still an X-Man but Rogue made him promise that he would just leave it alone. A week after arriving back at the Institute the Cajun arrived on the doorstep. Wolverine stood there to meet him.

"Please Logan...just let me talk to her."

"Rogue doesn't want to see you."

"But she doesn't understand." Remy tried to get past him but Wolverine was firm.

"Don't even try it Cajun."

Remy stepped back and shouted up to the upper levels of the building. He knew her bedroom was on the same face as the front garden. "Rogue! Rogue! Come down here Chere...Remy just wants to talk."

Logan picked him up by the collar of his trench. "This is your one chance to walk out of here before I send you out in an ambulance." He then threw Gambit back down onto the landing.

Rogue appeared behind him. "Logan it's ok."

"You sure you want to talk to him?"

Rogue nodded and stepped outside. "I don't want to do this Remy...I don't want to see you." She was trying so hard to keep her voice level.

"No...Anna please. You have to listen...I am not that guy anymore." He was pleading but Rogue would have none of it. She turned and walked back inside and Logan blocked Gambit's way when he tried to follow so he just kept begging.

"Anna! I swear it...you've made me want to change...I want to be better." He kept trying to push past Logan. "I'm sorry...Anna I love you!"

Rogue was waiting just inside the hallway still listening to every word. It was the last part that made her stop and turn around. Did he really think that using the L word was going to trick her into listening to what he had to say? She ducked back under Logan's arm.

"Well I don't love you!" She marched right up to him and got in his face. "How could you lie to me like that? How could you keep something like that from me?"

"I was trying to protect you! My people are dangerous, they could have slit my throat; or yours; at any second." He argued back.

Rogue's tone was still and calm; which only made it worse. "I'm not talking about the feud. I'm talking about the cure."

Remy reached out and caressed her face. "Forgive me..." He whispered. "Please...Anna, forgive me." He was trying desperately to charm her but she had wised up to his game when she took on part of his personality.

Rogue batted his arm away from her. "Don't touch me. You will never touch me again." Her voice spat like venom. Her heart was breaking. "This is not your home anymore. Don't you dare come back. Ever again."

With that it was over. Rogue went back inside and Logan threw Gambit away from the doorstep and sighed as he watched him retreat with his shoulders slumped. Wolverine went back inside and followed Rogue down the hallway.

"Anna huh? That's new."

"Not now Logan."

"What happened to Marie?"

"That's still my name. Look I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to be alone, sort my head out."

Rogue got back to her room to find her mobile beeping. There was a message from Remy.

Whenever you decide you want to talk, I'll be here. R

Rogue began to cry again. She knew that he really did care about her...hell he even might have meant it when he said he loved her. After a couple of days of Remy being inside her head she felt all of his regret, his remorse and his guilt. She also felt his emotions...the ones he kept buried. The ones that told him he was starting to care about somebody other than himself again. Rogue wanted to believe it was love...but the trust was gone. Without trust there was nothing left.

It had been a few weeks since she had come home. Everyone was walking on eggshells around her and even Bobby was being nice. It had caused quite the stir around Xavier's school when Rogue had left with Gambit. It was obvious she wasn't herself and had become quite withdrawn. Graduation was only a few weeks away and Rogue put all of her energy into it. Once school was over she could start to focus on what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She sat alone at lunchtime reading in the sun when Bobby came and sat down next to her.

"Hey Rogue."

"Hi." She managed. Iceman and her didn't talk much these days.

"How are you?"

Se wished he would cut the crap. "Bobby what do you want?"

"We're all worried about you, we just want to make sure you're ok."

"I'm fine. I've had a relationship fall apart before; nothing I can't handle." It was low, but she couldn't help herself.

"Hey; I'm trying to be your friend here." He protested.

"I know, I'm sorry. Look I'm just trying to keep my head down until graduation. Then I'll work out where I want to go from there."

"Have you spoken to him?"

"No and I don't plan to. I don't need him in my life. I was fine before and I'll be fine again."

"I'm here for you if you ever want to talk Rogue."

She forced a smile. "Thanks Bobby."

Graduation came and went and soon Rogue was a fully fledged member of the X-Men. Life was pretty quiet for the time being so Storm decided to take Rogue and Kitty on a trip to Washington. The premise was to visit the Smithsonian in preparation for a school project but deep down Ororo hoped the two girls would bond. She knew how hard it was for Rogue, especially given their history, but everybody needed at least one friend. The trip went well and after some more sightseeing it was time to fly back to New York. As their jet flew over the skies of Maryland the girls came across a frightful sight. A large plume of green smoke had risen over one building in particular.

"What is that?" Kitty asked in horror.

Storm keyed in their co-ordinates into her gps. "It's a clinical research centre. It deals in biomedical science. No wonder the smoke is so discoloured its probably a chemical fire. Let's land the jet and see if we can help."

Rogue didn't remember much after leaving the safety of the jet, everything passed by in a blur. When she woke up in an infirmary bed back at the Institute she was very disorientated. When her head stopped pounding for a moment or two she realised who was sitting protectively beside her bed grasping her hand. It was a no-good Cajun thief who she hadn't seen in weeks...not to mention had no intention of seeing again. Rogue pulled her arm out from his grasp instinctively and sent him flying across the other side of the room. Rogue shrieked in shock. What had she just done? Remy landed in a pile crashing into some beds and medical supplies causing quite the racquet.

He pulled himself up. "Careful Chere...those newfound powers of yours pack quite a punch. You might hurt somebody." Remy cracked a grin.

Rogue was beyond confused now. What new powers? Why on earth was Remy here and why was he smiling? She was frightened now and it was obvious in her voice. "Ororo? Logan?" She called out.

"It's ok Rogue...you're safe now. I go get them."

She hadn't expected to ever see him again. His jaw was unshaven and he looked like he hadn't slept properly for weeks. All Rogue could think about was how much he had hurt her and tears began rolling down her cheek. "What are you doing here Remy? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you after New Orleans."

He was beside her in an instant. "Chere...Hank said there would be some memory loss. You've been in a coma now for six weeks. You don't remember the fire?"