Okay, okay, quick note on the way the last chapter ended, I always had this sneaky feeling that on the inside Scott was just an infant, but kept up this 'stick up the ass' persona to keep things in order- proof, him using his "stress level" to diffuse Wolverine. Yeah, yeah, it was lame, but it made me laugh pretty hard. And I felt that that particular chapter needed some comic relief. (And so naturally, I just thought Scott Summers) ((that was a joke))

BACK TO STORY!

(Oh, and Wolverine totally said 'dude' in the last chapter. That. Happened.)

-

Logan spared Scott another look. "You okay, Slim?" He asked. Scott's attitude had changed very little since his outburst on the Blackbird, now that they were back at the mansion, he was hoping maybe Scott wouldn't be so broken about having to burn down an entire building, possibly killing several people in the process.

Scott nodded gravely. Logan would never know that he had been played like a Gameboy.

"I'm gonna see if I can pick up a trail." Logan dismissed everyone with a nod of the head.

He made his way to where he had last seen Rogue, in the demolished part of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngster's that had once been the grand entrance, though now it more resembled a grave yard. There was a pool of dried blood that had been Rogue earlier that day.

Though Logan knew her scent by heart he felt obligated to refresh his senses before continuing the search for her. Snagging one of her gloves to aide him, he traveled around the perimeter of the mansion.

"Logan?" Kurt came up behind from behind him. "Did you find her?"

"No." He said bluntly, straining to keep the remorse out of his voice. "I got nothing."

Kurt looked crushed, but at the same time like he had expected it. "I understand." He said. "Forge wanted to talk vith you." He added after a moments pause.

Logan grunted conformation that he understood and then made his way back to the still intact part of the mansion.

"Whaddya want, Forge?" Logan grumbled as soon as he reached the unscathed labs that Forge operated in.

"I have good news and I have bad news." Forge offered.

"Bad news first."

"The chip cannot be hacked, shut down, or controlled by an out side source." Forge said, wielding the microchip that had once lived in Deadpool's ass.

"Great." Logan deadpanned.

"Good news- It can be shorted out." Forge smiled widely, and then let some of his own doubt settle in on what he had just said. "If the person survives." He added in a mumble.

"How much would it take to short them out?" Logan glared at his fellow mutant, wondering, not for the first time, what exactly his job description was.

"Uh…" Forge looked back over his calculations. "Damn near fatal amounts."

"Define 'Damn near fatal' for me." Logan said coolly, doing a very good job of keeping his claws to himself for the time being.

"This may be a navel idea for you," Forge started toying around with some of the electronics he had sitting around to keep his nerves at bay. "But there's this thing that normal people do called 'dying'. This event takes place when your body ceases to function. The amount of energy needed to short out the chip can bring about this event sooner than most people would generally care for." He explained as if to a small child.

"Will it work on Deadpool?" Logan cut to the chase.

"Oh, yeah." Forge scoffed. "His healing factor makes your healing factor look like a sissy."

"Will it work on Rogue?" He decided to ignore Forge's quip for the moment.

"Uh…" Forge said again, debating whether he was going to lie his ass off or loose another limb.

"'Uh' is not on the list of acceptable answers." Logan growled.

"No." He said. "Her mutation would absorb the energy before it could actually do any damage."

Logan nodded deftly, the words seeping into his brain, slowly taking their full effect.

"Logan…" Forge ventured to capture his attention. "You do realize what this means. If we let any of those people have her it could potentially be the beginning of the end for all mutants. We'd have to-."

"I know!" Logan cut him off with a snarl. "I've been thinking about it ever since I saw that damn file. But, I am not going to give up on her that easy. I made that kid a promise, and only if that is the last option that can possibly be thought of will anyone on this team take that action. Understood?"

Forge shrank back in fear, nodding readily.

Logan growled deeply in his throat as he walked away. He had to find the kid before anyone tried to take over her, or he was going to have to kill her.

-

"Petit," Remy said without looking up from the book he was holding. "I'm fine. You can stop watchin' me now."

Rogue grumbled something indiscernible about how he was a big lair and continued to watch him like a hawk just as she had been doing for the past hour.

Remy avoided looking at her at all costs.

Looking at her made him feel guilty and dirty because she was probably the exact opposite of him. Rogue fought the good fight, gritted her teeth and stood her ground when she knew she was right, attempted to make amends when she knew she was wrong. She had a purpose. Remy LeBeau fought when it suited him, manipulated his way into the 'right' and was very seldom admitted he was wrong, because he was very seldom wrong.

He turned around and stared directly into her eyes, attempting to dissuade her from her concern for the rat that was Remy LeBeau.

"Remy promises he's fine." He said in a soothing manner.

It took a few moments and the widening of her eyes with confusion for him to realize what exactly he had just said. He cursed and start pacing immediately.

"Remy?" Rogue looked at him curiously. "Is that your real name."

"Qu'ai-je fait? Je sais ce que j'ai fait. J'ai tué une jeune fille innocente. Remy LeBeau tué une jeune fille. Pourquoi? Parce que Remy Lebeau est un rat. Oui, mon nom est Remy. Vous devez le mémoriser afin que vous avez quelqu'un à maudire avec votre dernier soupir!" He raved in French.

"Remy," She soothed, her smooth voice reminding him of the lazy days he had left behind in his once-was home. It sounded like the ring of laughter, splashes in a lake, the sizzle of the sun. It felt like smiles and warmth and comfort.

He allowed himself a moment of relief, of the small belief that everything was going to be okay, that his mistakes weren't too numerous to be mended. The moment ended too quickly. He sank down to the floor, his head made harsh contact with the wood, but he deserved it.

He felt her concern, her confusion and mostly her will to make things okay as she sat down beside him on the ground.

"What happened?" She asked softly, reaching out as if to put a comforting hand on him, but quickly rethought her decision and recoiled her arm into her chest.

"Je vous ai tué." He looked up into her eyes, speaking in French on purpose so that he could tell her the truth, but she wouldn't understand.

"I don't speak French," She reminded him part a small smile.

"I know."

"You aren't going to tell me then, are you?" How does something like her exist? So completely perfect that she was literally untouchable. Even now, in the presence of a demon, she was understanding.

He mumbled something in response that even he didn't completely understand.

"That's alright." Rogue said. After a moment of silence she bit her lip and then looked back down to him. "Can I call you Remy?" She asked tentatively.

He chuckled a little at her. Innocent. Sheltered. Untouched. Sassy. Quick-Tempered. She was certainly one of a kind.

"Yes, chérie." He smiled at her sadly. "Y' can call me Remy."

Rogue smiled down at him. Remy. She liked that name. If she was being honest with herself, she liked the man that name belonged to too.

-

Deadpool was stuck in a contorted position under a mountain of rubble.

Hot damn that guy with the laser eyes was good.

Deadpool waited for his muscles to receive some sort of signal to function by thinking.

Thought was something Deadpool did quite often, but generally at speeds rivaling that of a bird of prey diving for a dying rodent, and he acted upon those thought even faster than that. Now that he couldn't move his thoughts had more time to organize properly (somewhat organized… kinda properly) things were starting to make more and more sense.

The MRD had sent in a small army to find hot chick. Weapon X had sent him (pretending to be working with the MRD). But what about Sinister? Who had he sent in.

Just think about it, Wade. He prompted himself. Who else has shown interest in hot chick? Logan seemed pretty adamant about finding her, but Deadpool just assumed that was because she was hot. Though it was creepy that Logan was hounding her. Ew. She was way too young for him. Besides, she was probably more into the mercenary type, because, who wasn't?

Lightning struck his brain.

Or maybe she was into thieves.

Oh. Snap. Deadpool thought immediately he started hoping that someone was going to come bail him out and soon. He did not want to miss this.

-

Qu'ai-je fait? Je sais ce que j'ai fait. J'ai tué une jeune fille innocente. Remy LeBeau tué une jeune fille. Pourquoi? Parce que Remy Lebeau est un rat. Oui, mon nom est Remy. Vous devez le mémoriser afin que vous avez quelqu'un à maudire avec votre dernier soupir! - What have I done? I know what I've done. I've killed an innocent girl. Remy LeBeau killed a girl. Why? Because Remy LeBeau is a rat. Yes my name is Remy. You should remember it so that you have someone to curse with your dying breaths.

(Or, so the internet says)

Je vous ai tué - I've killed you