She was home. She couldn't believe it but the proof was right in front of her face. Everywhere around her Rogue could see people in their Mardi Gras costumes. Across the street was a bar with some kind of sport playing. A group of girls next to her were busy text messaging friends. God how sad was it she was excited to see people texting. She was standing right in the middle of the street she had been with Remy. Rogue wanted to throw her head back and shout for joy. Up above her a drunken girl leaned over a balcony and carelessly tossed some beads in Rogues direction. Rogue was in such a good mood that she reached out to catch them; only to have them pass right through her outstretched fingers.

Rogue stared in horror at the beads lying on the ground. No, it couldn't be it would be too cruel. Lifting her eyes she took another look around. The figures around her looked real but on closer inspection she could see what she had missed before. Everything seemed hazy, almost like the colors of a pastel painting, colorful but not bright. The sounds around her were muffed and indistinct, like everyone was mumbling. Experimentally she reached out to the person in front of her. Her hands passed right through, feeling only a hint of heat like when a person passes a hand through the smoke of an extinguished candle.

Rogue had to fight back the scream building in her throat as she dropped to her knees. Where was she now? So lost in her own misery she did not notice the woman in front of her until a gentle hand brushed against her hair. Raising her eyes Rogue almost feel over backwards.

The woman was young, not much older then Rogue herself. Her auburn hair had beautiful blond streaks mixed into it, falling softly around her rounded face. Her bright green eyes, more a brilliant jade then Rogue's striking emeralds, seemed tender with concern and understanding. Her white hoop skirt fell evenly to the ground. Her appearance was so close to Rogue's she could only be one person.

"Annabelle?" Rogue could barely get the word out.

"Yes," the woman replied in a gentle southern drawl, "You must be Rogue. It is nice to finally meet you, though I guess technically we are the same."

"How can ya be here? Ah don't understand," rogue felt she was stumbling over her on tongue, though to be fair it wasn't everyday you came face to face with who you supposedly were in the past.

"Don't be alarmed, I am just here to talk to you."

"Kinda late for that, don't ya think?"

Annabelle couldn't help but smile, "I know this whole thing has to be hard on you. I came to give you hope. You are so close to getting back to where you belong. You just have to hang in there a little longer."

"That is easy for ya ta say," Rogue spat, "Ah'm stuck living your life right now. For all ah know ah changing history. Ah already ran into someone Ah know here, granted he is a lot smaller."

"You must be talking about James," she laughed, "I always adored him, we became good friends over the years. As for changing the past, have you noticed at certain times you have found yourself going somewhere or doing something that you weren't really thinking about?"

Rogue nodded in agreement.

"That is because that is were I went or what I did. I am still there just you are getting to see through my eyes is all."

"That may be but Ah don't want ta be seeing through your eyes, Ah want ta go home."

"I know you do. There is someone waiting for you."

Slowly she raised her hand to point over Rogues shoulder. Getting up Rogue turned around to see what she meant. A little ways up the street, through the shadows of the crowd Rogue could see the fortunetellers shop. There leaning up against the wall by the door was Remy, her Remy. He kept glancing down at his cell phone, obviously checking the time, before looking once again at the door. As Rogue watched he finally thrust the phone in his pocket, took a deep breath and charged into S'ayapo's. Rogue waited willing him to come back where she could see him. It didn't take as long as she thought, as he came flying back out into the street. He began scanning the crowd, his usually calm features contorted with concern. He turned as if someone was calling him and Rogue watched as Kitty and Piotr walked in his direction. Kitty was already in the middle of telling him something when he cut her off. Rogue felt like her ears would pop off the side of her head as she tried to hear. Remy seemed to be explaining something very quickly, pointing the pair back in the direction they had just come from. Kitty's face looked distressed as she and Piotr ran in that direction swallowed by the crowd.

With the couple out of sight Remy turned in Rogues direction and began making his way through the crowd towards her.

She open her mouth to call only to be stilled by Annabelle's soft hand.

"He can't hear you, Rogue."

Rogue wanted in that moment to do nothing else but run to him. Find away to fix whatever was happening. She watched him walk closer and closer, willing him to see her. When he was just a few inches away Rogue couldn't stop herself, she reached out a hand desperately. "Remy" she whispered as the hand passed though his arm.

He turned back almost as if she had actually touched him. His looked like they were looking right at her but the confusion on his face let her know that he couldn't see her.

"Rogue?" he said, his voice unsteady. He reached out his hand towards her.

Suddenly he seemed to grow dimmer as if disappearing into a mist. Rogue tried to keep her eyes glued to his face remembering every detail as it faded from sight.

Rogue's eyes flew open as she simultaneously shot up in the bed. Her head swiveled from left to right, finding only the now familiar sight of Annabelle's room. "No" she thought desperately to herself. She had been so close to home, so close to him. Gathering her knees up to her chest Rogue couldn't hold back the tears as she sobbed endlessly into the night.

ooooXXXXoooo

Present….

Remy had felt like he had been waiting outside for hours, though it had really only been a forty minutes. What was keeping Rogue? She had said thirty minutes when she left him. He knew that sometimes people could get long readings but by now she should know that her future grandson's dog would get fleas. He had been lucky at the tables and was anxious to show her the gift he bought.

Again he looked at his cell phone. He had been right on time, where was she? Glancing again at the door Remy decided whether he liked it or not he was probably going to have to go in there and fetch her. He stuffed the phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath. "Forgive moi, Tante. Remy is going in dere for a good cause and 'm promise he won't touch anything."

Ducking into the small shop he was surprised by how empty it seemed. Dust everywhere and nobody at the counter towards the back.

"Bonjour," he called, "Rogue y' in dere chere? We really should get goin'."

The only thing that answered him was silence. Silently cursing himself he slipped through the door behind the counter and made his way to the back. He found himself in a room with nothing in it but an old woman sitting in a chair.

"Uhhhh…" he began uncertainly, "Remy sorry to bother y' ma'am but is dere a young fille back here with white stripes in her hair?"

The woman looked up at him with tired white eyes that almost had Remy jumping back in shock.

"She came in here," the woman said in a steady voice, "but she left an hour ago. She didn't seem well."

Something in the woman's voice caught Remy as being not quite right, "Did she say where she was going?"

"No, she just stood up and walked out. You may want to go look for her."

Something wasn't right. It wasn't like Rogue to just leave, especially if she wasn't feeling well. Turning on his heels Remy ran back through the front of the shop. He had to find her. When he got to the street he looked in every direction but didn't see the distinct white streaks anywhere. Something was definitely wrong he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

"Like Remy," came Kitty's voice through the crowd, "You will never guess what happened. Logan like saw a girl with strawberry-blond streaked hair and totally kept telling Ororo that he knew that head from somewhere, and like Ororo totally got jealous and threatened to hit him with a lightning bolt and…."

She never got to finish as Remy stormed up to her and Piotr.

"Rogue's gone. She wandered off, someone said she didn' look well we have t' find her right now."

Kitty was startled by the intense look in his eyes and listened as he explain that she needed to go back and get the others. Kitty didn't hesitate as she grabbed Piotr arm and dragged him back through the crowds.

Remy couldn't wait for the others, he would start on his own. He began in the opposite direction, pushing drunken revelers out of his way. He reached a small beak in the crowd and plunged forward only to be stopped by what felt like a hand grab him. Pausing he thought he heard his name but it was very faint. Pivoting he stood staring at the spot behind him. He could have sworn he felt something. Suddenly his empathy seemed to pick up on something. He concentrated stretching it out towards the empty spot in front of him. He felt the familiar signature of Rogue's emotions but they weren't good. He felt sadness and desperation, but they seemed so faint almost like they were very very far away.

"Rogue?" he raised his hand almost expecting to touch her in the empty air. He felt the emotions spike just barely before they disappeared completely.

Now he was really worried and not ashamed to admit scared. He had only felt something like that once before when his brother Henri had been hurt on a job in Europe. When they found him he was barely clinging to life. He once again spun around and this time broke out in a desperate run.

"Hold on, Chere," he whispered to no one but himself, "'m coming, I'll find y'."

A/N: Ok so that chapter was really intense for me to write. I hope it fits your expectations. I really liked this. Ok so now we know what is happening in the present and that Rogue can't mess up the past. There will be action in the next chapter and stay tuned because we still have a ball to attend. Please review, I live for them. : )