Enjoy!

Looking across from her at Kitty standing next to Bobby, Emma smirked 'Isn't there a height requirement to be an X-men?'

Kitty glared at her, 'Aren't you too old to be dressing like Malibu Barbie?'

Wolverine leaned against the inside of the jet; his arms crossed in front of him 'Heh, I thought I had claws.'

Emma merely continued to smile, 'oh sweetie, I'm so gushingly glad we're on the same team.'

But before a full on argument could break out, Cyclops broke in.

'Are we ready?'

It was all Cyclops needed to say to silence them, because as they looked at each other around the table they understood, they did what Professor had been trying to tell them from the beginning, they did this to protect those who will never know, will never remember, or thank them, or like it. But do it they will,

No matter the sacrifice.

As Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Iceman looked at each other one last time, Cyclops said a few last words, and 'I know this isn't something we ever expected to face, least of all without the professor. This is not Jean, this is not whom we have known for so long' Cyclops paused, 'we can't afford to hesitate out there. Just find her.' He looked around, 'everyone knows the plan?'

Everyone nodded save Wolverine, but as they all turned to him, he stared Cyclops in the eye, 'you gonna take the shot when you need to?'

Cyclops stared back, 'yeah'

Wolverine just nodded.

Cyclops looked around, 'spread out.'

As everyone walked off the jet, only one stayed back.

'Emma?' Cyclops asked her quietly.

Emma stared at him, before turning away, 'Superpowers, scintillating wit and the best body money can buy, and I still rate below a corpse.' For once bitterness laced her words.

Cyclops frowned, opening his mouth to say something but Emma had already turned away and walked out of the jet.
Turning to Sabretooth Magneto smiled, 'The girl should be here soon. Keep them occupied.' Sabretooth bared his teeth, salivating with anticipation. 'With pleasure' he growled.

Then turning to Gambit, 'find her'

Gambit nodded, shuffling his cards.

Magneto turned to the thousands of mutants behind them. His eyes roved over them, observing their bloodlust, the scent of self righteousness with a tinge of fear hung heavy in the air. Slowly he started talking, 'No one ever talks about it, they just do it. They have created a weapon, sentinels they call them. They sneak around in the middle of the night for our own protection they say.' silence reigned over the mutants as they looked up at him. Many nodded; understanding what was at stake.

'That woman out there is one of us, a mutant. Make no mistake, they intend to destroy us and she will be the first. The extermination is beginning. Will you be one of them…or one of us?' He nodded at the people below them.

John stared at her flicking his lighter on and off, the sound filling the SUV. 'You know, you belong to him now.' John said with a smirk, making sure Gambit could hear him. The trees whizzed by them as they sped down the long country road toward the city.

Snap, click, snap, click

Whipping her head from the passing scene outside her window, she looked across the seat at him, 'It doesn't matter.' She said, brushing him off, before turning back to the window, hoping John would leave her alone.

But John continued smirking, flicking his lighter again and again. 'You don't get it' he grounded out, 'he owns you now.'

Gambit watched John stare at Rogue, but he kept his mouth shut, instead taking a deck of cards and shuffling them in his hands as he leaned back in his seat next to John.

Her eyes narrowed, 'Since when did you care what happens to me or the X-men. You aren't one of us. You ran away remember?' she sneered, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

John smirked at her, 'Because the professor was pathetic. You sneer at us as if you're better then us, you killed a boy? I bet mommy and daddy didn't like their precious princess being a murderer. Coma, right?' Looking her up and down, he shook his head, 'god you're pathetic'

She stared at him, anger in her eyes; neither noticed the door handle bending under Rogue's grip. 'Cody' she whispered, pale and shaking with anger. Slowly turning to him, she looked at him intently, her voice low and deadly, her brown eyes slowly turning green, 'His name was Cody. A kiss was all it took.'

Suddenly John stopped flicking his lighter, and instead grabbed Rogue's arm hard, forcing her to stare at him, 'You didn't have your dad beat you until you couldn't breathe without coughing up blood because you were a freak'

Rogue looked at him startled, the green fire dying. This was the first time he ever mentioned the circumstances that brought him to the school in the first place. Furthermore, she was surprised he would tell her anything considering he knew her for two years in which she was a reclusive.

Seeing the pity in her eyes, John was about to turn away hating what slipped. But Rogue caught his wrist and forced him to look at her. Rogue looked up at him, uncertain for a moment.

'Don't do this, come back with us.' She whispered.

Cyclops pressed his ear, 'Storm, where are you?'

Cyclops and Wolverine stood in an alley, waiting for the others to report in.

Crackling could be heard before Storm came on the line, 'North, We should be there in five minutes.'

Wolverine suddenly lifted his head, his eyes scanning the area around them, 'we don't have five minutes….'

Cyclops stared at him with confusion, 'what-'

SNKT!

'Sabretooth' he growled before a large bulky object sailed through the air, crashing into Wolverine and sending both of them into a car. Glass and metal crumbled under them, before they drew apart from each other for a moment.

Both bared their teeth at each other, growling low and menacing.

'Go!' Wolverine shouted as he and Sabretooth exchanged blows.

Cyclops's hand automatically went to his visor, trying to find a shot, but they moved too fast.

Sabretooth took a slash at Wolverine's torso, ripping his skin to shreds. Wolverine snarled at the pain, but dug his claws in an uppercut into Sabretooth's upper arm.

Howling in rage, Sabretooth drew back, before taking another swipe at Wolverine. Wolverine ducked in time to see Sabretooth punch the brick wall behind him, the Building bowing with the force.

Although Wolverine dodged that, he couldn't dodge the other swipe and Sabretooth clawed him across his face.

'Too slow frail' Sabretooth growled.

Wolverine suddenly rammed Sabretooth in the stomach, sending them crashing into the side of the building, bricks and dust falling.

Growling could be heard among the crashes as they tussled. And Cyclops debated but the sound of something crashing in the distance, jerked Cyclops's head up. 'Storm…we're being ambushed'

'what…kkccchhh…?'

'Storm?'

Suddenly turning, Cyclops stared wide-eyed.

Storm looked up quizzically, 'Cyclops? Cyclops?' she pressed her earpiece.

Emma turned to look back at Storm, 'what's happened' she demanded.

Storm shook her head in disbelief, 'I-I don't know'

Both looked at each other for a second, before they suddenly moved into action.

As they turned the corner, they came to a sudden stop, Gambit stood with one hand behind his back and the other on a silver pole.

'It's be a shame to end this date now.'

Emma curled her lip in disgust, 'and who the hell are you?'

Gambit smirked, his red eyes burning against the black, 'my friends call me Remy, my enemies call me Gambit, you can go ahead and forget de first one.'

Emma raised an eyebrow, 'my you're a little young, but…that's how I like them.'

With a quick jerj of her chin, Emma held her hand out, sending pieces of metal and glass his way.

But Storm and Emma stared wide eyed, as he sent pieces of cardboard towards the debris.

BOOM!

Emma and Storm shielded their eyes, as all the pieces exploded.

Storm raised her head after a moment, only to find the street completely empty.

'where-'

Both turned around, only to find Gambit grinning from several feet away.

In his hands he held three playing cards, grinning at their astonished faces, he chuckled, 'after all this time, an' I still manage to impress myself.'

Storm suddenly jerked her head up, her eyes turning white, raising her hands.

Looking at Storm quizzically, Gambit turned to Emma, 'what she be doing chere?'

Emma simply smirked and folded her arms across her chest, 'boy are you going to get it!'

Gambit looked back at Storm for a moment, before lightening hit mere inches from him.

Slowly rising in the air, Storm looked down at him, 'You fool!'

Another streak of lightening caused Gambit to flip away, a silver pole snapping open. Landing on his feet, his brown trench coat swayed in the breeze as he straightened up. His right hand holding the pole horizontal behind him.

Now annoyed, Gambit held his cards up, a queen, joker, and an ace, 'Let me show you a card trick.'

'Here, pick a card' and with a flick of his wrist he flung three glowing cards at Storm.

All three exploded in the air, sending Storm tumbling to the ground. 'AAAHHHH'

Emma barely held her hand up in time to slow Storm's descent, 'oh you've gained some weight' Emma muttered as it took all her concentration to steady Storm, letting her slowly descend to the black concrete.

Looking over her shoulder, she found the streets deserted again.

'Annoying little rat isn't he' Emma said as she helped Storm up.

John looked down at her. He was surprised at how tempting it was. Hesitating, he looked at Gambit who sat smirking at the two of them before John suddenly snatched his hand away, as if burned. Stiffening, he scowled, 'I'm not one of you X-babies. I don't believe in Xavier's crappy dream. I chose my side'

Leaning in, he smirked, 'You know, professor was a relic. You and the X-men are going to cease to exist. Mutants should be in control, you were right to kill the human -'

Her eyes turned bright green, anger dancing in her eyes, as she grabbed him by the throat and pounded the back of his head against the opposite window. 'Don't you dare' she snarled at him. 'I can never get the look of pain in his eyes out of my head. I remember his parents, who loved me like a daughter try to chase me out of town. Don't you dare ever speak about him like that.'

Gambit's eyes narrowed as he watched the energy roll off her in waves.

John gasped, 'Gambit…help'

Gambit smirked, 'sorry mon ami, I never come between a woman's fury and de man stupid enough to piss her off.'

Rogue's eyes never left John's face as she tightened her grip.

And for a tense second John stared at her frightened.

Disgust laced her words, 'You pathetic little worm', Rogue suddenly loosened her grip.

John rubbed his throat glaring at him, 'bitch' he mumbled.

Rogue turned her head, her attention somewhere else, 'Quiet' she snapped, her eyes looking up towards the roof of the car for a moment

Gambit stopped his shuffling, 'what it be?'

'AH' Rogue bent over, her fingers clutching her head.

She was suddenly flooded with voices again, all those people out there, praying to survive today.

She wants something

Jean

She is weak right now, keep her away

Away from what?

Scott!!

With another cry, Rogue threw her head back, fingers pulling at her hair, blood dripping from her nose.

'Rogue?' John tried to grab on to her, but she whipped her head up, eyes blazing with green flames. 'You will all die!'

CRASH!

A truck slammed into the side of the SUV, sending it rolling over and over again.

'Sir, I see…t-thousands of mutant signatures coming towards it.' The tech swallowed trying to count all the green dots lighting up the screen like a Christmas tree.

Colonel Fury turned around from another screen. 'Are you sure?' he asked, leaning over to look closely.

'Positive sir, just as she said.'

Fury nodded, without pause 'Send them out.'

The soldier looked up with confusion, 's-sir?...we'd be trapping them in the middle of the city…Where thousands of people are?'

Fury looked down at him, 'Send them out' He said without hesitation.

A/N: Sorry! it took forever to figure out how I wanted this ending set up. There's some really coo possibilities in my head. So don't worry I have not forgotten this story or any others.But I had lost all my hundreds of pages of notes and outlines for my other stories. So I think I'll be taking those down at some point and tinkering with them before I post them up again. But don't worry I will be finishing all stories. This story has maybe two more chapter, three at most. So thank you for sticking with this even if it did take me several months to post. My apologies.

let me know what you think!