Marie was close to passing out. Remy's grip on her neck was literally a death grip.

"Remy, you stupid ass," Marie choked the words out weakly.

His hand tightened around her throat harder than before. He really meant to kill her.

She coughed hoarsely. "You're wasting time. We need to get out of here now."

His grip loosened and his eyes narrowed into a frown. She could breathe a tiny bit.

"This is some kind of trick," he answered carefully. "You'll buzz the guards if I let you go."

"God, you're dim sometimes!" she rasped. Anger wasn't going to help her convince him she was on his side, but he was so damn frustrating that she couldn't help it. She didn't blame him for being paranoid, he'd always been jumpy, but this was ridiculous. "Don't you think that if I was one of them, I'd have put the new chip in you?"

Remy's grip remained the same as his eyes shifted over to the table. His old bloody chip lay beside the shiny brand new one in the sterile tray.

His eyes moved back to her. "Doesn't prove anything. You could still have plans to install it."

"Okay, then why would I bother to unstrap you first? I'd have to be a complete moron to do that if I was one of them. You made it pretty clear you're gonna kill me."

He stared at her intently while she gave him a nonplussed look.

His hand was off her throat as quickly as it was there.

"Good point," he answered with a red face. He was obviously embarrassed about his overreaction and attempt on her life. He was scratching the back of his head nervously as he cleared his throat. "Um, I am really, really sorry about that."

"You tried to kill me."

"Again, really, really sorry," Remy apologized sheepishly. "I sort of panicked and overreacted. It's this place; it makes you paranoid, y'know? The ultimate betrayal thing, it's kinda a common occurrence in my life."

"The ultimate betrayal?" she asked a little confused.

"Yeah, you know because I…well we…" He hesitated. "Never mind." He glanced away uncomfortably.

Marie knew she'd do the same thing if she thought he'd betrayed her to the government. She nodded slightly, completely missing what he was trying and failing to get at.

"I-I don't know how to get us out of here," Marie blurted out.

He glanced back at her in mild surprise. "I'm surprised you got in here in the first place," he replied.

"I had some help."

Remy raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

She sighed. "I got help from the Brotherhood."

"You didn't call your team?" He seemed flat out shocked now.

It was her turn to glance away. "No."

"Why not?"

She didn't answer. Not because she didn't know what to say, but because she didn't want to say it.

He pressed her again. "Why not, chere?"

"I didn't call the team because you didn't want to go back, and because I screwed up," she answered. Tears stung her eyes when she remembered that this was all her fault. "I went to the Brotherhood for help to get you out. I went against everything I believe in to get in here and get to you, and now I actually have no plan to get us out of here!"

"C'mon, you didn't screw up," he said softly, cupping her face in his palm. "I screwed up, okay? I got careless, and I got caught."

"Because of me." Marie sniffed.

"Because of you, we have a chance of getting out of here. You think you can help me rush the guards?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," she answered, wiping the gloom away slowly. "But what about you? You've been sedated."

"High metabolism," Remy answered before going serious on her. "Whatever happens, we're in this together, right?"

"Yes," she answered confidently.

Remy always had a way of making things okay. Even doomed in a government cell, she was feeling better. Remy slipped his shirt and jacket back on, getting ready to make their break.

Marie and Remy positioned themselves by the door. Marie's hand idled above the buzzer. Any minute now and they would try to fight their way out. It was a long shot, but it was the only chance they had.

Marie's hand was about to push the buzzer when an alarm went off and Remy's cell door opened automatically, along with every other cell on the block. Remy gave an amused laugh.

Mystique's voice crackled over the P.A. system. "This doesn't make us friends, but it makes us even, Rogue."

It appeared Mystique had changed her mind about not helping Marie any further and had gone back to the control room. Mutants came from everywhere rushing the guards to escape. Marie and Remy jumped into the commotion. She held his hand tightly, weaving through the mutants who were trying to escape aimlessly.

Marie knew exactly where to go, and eventually lost the disoriented crowd. She slowed down to a pleasant, normal walk to avoid suspicion. They calmly walked right out the door she and Mystique had entered, completely undetected. It was a miracle, without Mystique's added bonus, escaping would have been near impossible.

They were almost home free when they ran into Magneto's mutants a block or so away. Mystique was not among them. Marie still had Remy's bare hand in hers. John stared at her, noticing the skin-to-skin contact right away. What she had been faking for days had finally dawned on John.

"You don't have your mutation!" John's face contorted in anger and disgust.

Marie gave no answer. She was bound to be discovered sooner or later.

"Get her and the vial!" John ordered to the small band of mutants. "She has no mutation!"

Remy casually leaned down and grabbed a handful of gravel. "You seem to forget that I have mine," Remy remarked, charging the gravel and flinging it at John and the other mutants. A series of small explosions went off as Remy tugged Marie in the opposite direction.

"Nice welcoming party, chere. Care to explain what's going on?" Remy huffed as they took off running. "You seem to make friends as well as I do."

"I, um, well… I sorta double crossed Magneto," Marie replied between breaths.

Remy did a double take and almost tripped.

"I said I'd give him the Kick if he gave me Mystique to help break you out. Then I had a change of heart, and gave the Kick to Mystique, who I guess decided to keep it for herself," Marie explained. "In the meantime giving us our escape, so I'd still say it was a good move."

"You've been a busy girl in my brief absence."

"Yeah, well, left to my own devices…"

"You're as bad as me," he finished for her.

She smiled. They ran through the near empty streets together and Marie wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Aren't you sore?" she asked finally when they reached an empty park and slowed down. "I did operate on you."

"It hurts like a bitch," he answered.

"We need to find somewhere to rest and lay low. The Brotherhood is not happy with me right now."

"Us," he corrected. "The Brotherhood is not happy with us. We're in this together, remember?"

"Right," she answered smiling. It was noble of him to just assume her troubles were also his. Funny, now that she thought about it, she had done the same for him with his business with Dukes.

"C'mon, I know just the place to lay low for awhile." He grabbed her hand and he led her out of the park.

Trouble was never very far behind, and it wasn't long before the Brotherhood and Magneto, himself cornered them on an empty street. Marie felt her heart drop into her stomach. She didn't have the Kick or her mutation. Remy was looking pretty rough right now and she suspected his past two days in captivity had taken a toll on him. She even suspected he was lying about the sedative having no effect on him. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was a little too calm for this situation. Their odds in this fight were not good, not good at all.

"Magneto," Remy greeted pleasantly. "I see you brought all your resources to your aid. I can't help but feel a little flattered."

"The vial, Rogue," Magneto instructed, completely ignoring Remy. "As per our agreement."

Marie didn't know what to do.

"I-I don't have the Kick." Marie managed to stumble the words out.

"Because I do," Remy jumped in.

Marie stared at him, and like magic, he dug a tiny vial from the inside pocket of his coat.

Remy gave Magneto a confused look. "What on earth made you think I wouldn't be carrying it?"

Magneto gave an angry look to John, whose eyes had widened like saucers.

"Rogue had the Kick. I swear I saw him give it to her!" John argued adamantly. "He kept it in her bra!"

Remy laughed. "So I like playing with her breasts, doesn't mean I like to hide stuff in them."

Magneto looked like he was ready to kill John. According to the yarn Remy had just spun, John had gotten him picked up by the Sentinels while the Kick was on him the entire time. Meaning that in order to get the Kick in the first place, Magneto would have had to break Remy out anyway.

"She promised the Kick, in exchange for your freedom," Magneto answered calmly, hiding his fury miraculously well.

Marie imagined that when Magneto was back to full power, John would be paying severely for his 'appeared incompetence'.

"Absolutely." Remy smiled his slick smile. "A deal is a deal, and we wouldn't dream of shirking on it."

"You attacked and ran from my mutants," Magneto answered sharply.

"Sparky, over there threatened Marie. What sort of a gentleman would I be if I didn't protect her?" Remy replied innocently. "We were actually just on our way to see you personally, skip the middle man altogether."

Magneto stared at him suspiciously.

Remy continued on casually, "You know, Mags, I gotta tell you, if your Brotherhood was more organized and disciplined, I'd be more inclined to join up." He tsked disapprovingly. "But this rag tag band of mutants you've got going on here just isn't my style. No finesse."

Remy shook his head in pity then switched gears and tossed Magneto the vial. The man caught it effortlessly.

"A deal's a deal." Remy gave him a gracious bow, looped his arm around Marie, and turned his back on the whole lot of them; confidently striding off down the street. No one came after them. Not one mutant followed them. Marie was bewildered.

When they were a safe distance away, Marie finally asked him, "What just went on back there?"

"Our deal, chere," he answered.

Marie frowned. "No, you just charmed your way out of getting the crap beat out of us. How did you do it?"

He shrugged. "The gift of a good con. Trick is to use a silver tongue if you've got it."

"You had two vials of Kick all along."

"Nope."

Marie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. All she had to do was ask and Remy would revel in his own genius. It was one of his favourite things to do—dazzle her with his brilliance.

"Alright, explain. I know you're itching to."

He beamed. "One is actually grape Kool-aid."

Marie gaped at him. When had he had time to do that?

"Okay, when did you make the fake vial? We've been together all this time and I've never seen you do it."

"You assume that because you sleep, I do."

"I've seen you sleep, Remy," Marie answered dryly.

"Yeah, but I hardly ever go to bed the same time you do. Once the value of the Kick increased, I made a fake. It was good busy work while you slept naked."

"So who has the fake?"

"Magneto does," he answered. "I thought that was obvious."

"And why's that?"

"Because I told you I wouldn't give him the Kick that day you asked me not to."

"You kept your word for me," she answered in a bit of daze.

"I keep lots of things for you."