Of Thieves and Martys: Chapter 25

X~X~X~X

It had been too long. He felt it and he knew Bobby felt it too by how quickly he was pacing around the room. The Wolverine hasn't made his appearance yet and it will only be a few more hours before the sun rises. Lorna and Rogue had been gone for most of the night and that worried Gambit. He knew the Guild, either they trusted you enough to give you what you need and sent you on your way or, he didn't even want to think about the or and what could happen to the girls.

All he could do was shuffle his cards and play an endless game of solitaire as his eyes shifted from John to the clock on the wall. When the clock reached 4:00 am, he knew he couldn't stand it anymore and stood up from his chair.

"What are you doing?" Bobby asked him as he saw the mutant grab his long coat and put it on.

"What do you think I'm doing? Your girl failed, both of them could be in trouble," he said as he adjusted the collar on his jacket.

"What about John? You told Rogue-"

"I know what I said to the girl. But I didn't sign up to babysit John, don't care about no John, both our girls are in danger and you're concerned about him?"

"We promised her, I keep my promises, and she's not your girl." Bobby said defiantly.

"Whatever, Bobby, you do you, I'm going to do things my way," he said and opened the door, only to see Lorna leaned up against the doorframe. She was tired and weary and her body ached.

"Lorna?" Bobby said, rushing to help brace her before she could fall over from exhaustion. "Lorna, what happened? Are you ok?" He slowly escorted her into the room and helped her to a chair.

"Where's Rogue?" Remy asked, looking out the door to see any signs of her.

"The Guild," Lorna started, shaking her head, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "The Guild, they took her, and...and," She wanted to tell them that it was her fault, that she practically gave Rogue to Belladonna but she knew Bobby would never forgive her.

"The Guild has Rogue? Who from the Guild took her and where did they take her?" Remy said sternly and approached her quickly.

"I-I" Bobby and Remy could see that Lorna was breaking down and while Bobby cared, Remy did not. "I don't know-," she lied, feeling Remy's strong gaze at her.

"What do you mean you don't know. Did you see them take her?" Remy questioned her again and Bobby placed his hand on Remy's chest to keep him at bay.

"Hey," Bobby said sternly, "back off, she's had a hard night."

"Her night's not anywhere near as bad as Rogue's, now who took her? Which Guild?"

"BELLADONNA!" Lorna blurted out, inhaling deeply. "Belladonna took her. We were in an alley and she had all these guys who knew everything about us and, and they took her."

"Belle?" Remy signed deeply. What was it about that girl that she was always looking for trouble and he was always involved in her brand of trouble. "She's an assassin, do you know what they do to outsiders?"

"Hey," Bobby shouted, his fists frosting over, "back off, she told us what she needed to."

"FINE!," Remy huffed and walked towards the door. "I don't know how Belle knew about you and Rogue Lorna, but I am going to find out."

"Wait, we need a plan. You can't just do this on your own. She's our friend too." Bobby warned him but he knew it was to no avail. He clearly had made up his mind and everyone can see that in his tense posture.

"No, I should have done this on my own. Should have taken her out of the Big Easy. When the tithing happens no one is safe."

Before either Bobby or Lorna could say a word, the red eyed mutant disappeared leaving a trail of thick tension and unanswered questions in his wake.

"What happened tonight Lorna?" Bobby turned to her and can see her avoiding him.

"I told you what happened. We were in an alley, they came-"

"No Lorna," Bobby looked at her a little more seriously, "What really happened? How did she know everything about you and Rogue? Why did they only take Rogue?"

"Bobby, I don't know, she was really interested in Rogue. She knew about our powers, she was ready. She's an assassin, I don't know what they're capable of. It could be anything."

"Ok," Bobby lowered himself, delicately took Lorna's hands inside his and calmly asked, "if you can tell me that you honestly had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to Rogue then I believe you."

Lorna looked and him and saw nothing but trust. He had given her no reason to not trust him. He was not like her former boyfriend who had fallen in love with his nurse while they were still dating. He was different. He has such an infallible faith and trust in his friends, his colleagues, and his mentors. But she was his girlfriend, she wasn't sure where she falls in his circle of trust. She only knew that she trusted him and didn't want to lose him. When he rescued her from the camps she knew that she always wanted to be by his side, no matter what.

"Belladonna knew everything about us, she knew what we were looking for. I don't know how or why but she knew." Lorna started to cry uncontrollable after that. Her guilty conscious getting the better of her.

"It's ok Lorna," Bobby whispered and pulled her into a comforting hug. "We'll find Rogue and we'll save John, don't worry. You did your best."

X~X~X~X

Sitting quietly in her cell, Rogue thought about how reminiscent the situation she was currently experiencing to the mutant internment camps not too long ago, back when she thought she had lost everything.

Here she was a victim again, bait, a chattel that Lorna traded for her own selfish reasons. How many more times in her life will she be a victim, Rogue thought to herself.

"You're a strong girl Marie, pain in the ass but strong."

She remembered John telling her that after her and Bobby broke up. She remembered he didn't for once think she was going to be emotionally broken over a breakup.

"You're free now, the world is yours to do what you want without fear."

Fear, she wasn't afraid at all right now. Gambit told her the world was hers, she didn't think he meant with her being behind bars. She realized someone is always going to want to trap her, contain her, it was up to her to not let them, to take her freedom.

"Well, I hope you're comfortable, my dear," she heard an all too familiar voice say to her as his figure emerged from behind the locked door.

"Stryker?" She was staring at the man that did horrible things to the people she cared about, would have done terrible things to her had she not escaped. "But, Alkali Lake, you should be dead."

"Yes, when the Wolverine left me there, I should have died but someone, very interested in me and my research saved me. Someone with a vision for the future."

With every step he took she can only imagine what he was going to do to her. Was he going to cut her up and mutilate her all for the sake of his mutant experiments? Was he going to just kill her as revenge for Alkali Lake?

"You know, I originally asked Belladonna for both girls but she negotiated just for you. I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as I have you, I can have anybody."

"What do you mean?" She questioned him.

"A mutant capable of stealing other mutants powers. Don't you see Rogue? You're the holy grail of my experiments. Your DNA can potentially house all mutant DNAs."

"What are you going to do to me?" She said and for the first time since she was kidnapped, she was afraid.

"Well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," he said and lifted his hand and gestured towards the guard behind him. Very swiftly, the guard grabbed Rogue's hand and pulled to between the bars. Stryker then took a vial from his pocket and pricked her. She saw that he was watching her blood fill the vial with a joyful delight.

"This is all we'll take for now." He said and turned around, preparing to leave. "Make sure you feed her well, wouldn't want her malnourished in case we need more." She heard him say to the guard before they both disappeared behind her and locked the door.

She knew she had to stay strong but she could feel the fear bubbling up inside her. She was afraid of what would happen to her, what would happen to John, and everyone she cares about and for the first time in a very long time, she felt her eyes well up. Bringing her hands to wipe away her tears she felt a bitter cold that stunned her.

Look at her hands she noticed that her fingertips were frosting over slightly and then a burst of icicles, small but frozen danced to the floor of her cell.

"Bobby's powers?" She said to herself.

Fear

Her mind shuffled back to Alcatraz, the night that Bobby had defeated John and left him for dead, the night that his powers evolved.

She remembered what he told her later on, how he was afraid he had to be the one to kill his best friend. For someone who values relationships and loyalty as much as Bobby, having to destroy one of the people that he trusted most terrified him.

She remembered what Gambit had told her about her powers and about every mutant's powers, controlling your powers means digging deep into yourself to your experiences and what defines you. What defines you are your greatest strengths and weaknesses and for mutants our powers can be our greatest strength or weaknesses.

Her DNA has the potential to be very powerful, to be every mutant but emotionally and mentally she was not ready to experience that, but she needed to, she needed to get out of here to save John and everyone she cared about.

She walked closer to the bars, lifted her hands and let fear and Bobby's powers guide her. Slowly the bars started to frost over until it was all ice and she realized, she should have thought out her plans a little bit more. Just because they were frozen doesn't mean she had the strength to smash them.

The only thing she can do now is just wait until the ice melts and pools around her.

It seemed like all of her life all she did was wait. She waited for the cure to her powers. She wanted for John to come back to her and now she was waiting for an absolution to her life. Surely she was meant to be more than just a pretty face that was kept waiting. Her life must mean more than that, there must be some kind of plan for her.

"I told Stryker that it was far too cold in here," an all too familiar voice echoed towards her.

"I rather he improve upon the stench then the temperature," another voice was heard that was male and far stronger and louder than the first.

"Well, well, well, look what the Assassins brought us," Sebastian Shaw bellowed as he towered over Rogue's seated body.

"Pity Stryker needed her alive," Emma Frost, his queen, said very coldly. This was an oddly familiar circumstance, not too long ago Emma held her hostage and used her as bait for John. This time she wasn't bait though, this time she was the prize. She didn't understand why Emma was here when she was on Wanda's side. Of course it shouldn't surprise her that the White Queen would remain faithful to the Hellfire Club and betray Wanda.

"No matter what we do, somehow, this little X-Brat always gets in the way."

"Now, now Emma, we made a deal with Stryker. Even you can appreciate the potential for this amount of power." Sebastian Shaw approached her and rested his hands on her shoulders. She smiled and turned towards him.

"Of course I do, after all, this was your plan," she emphasized the your part and Rogue wondered about that. Lifting herself up on her heels, she brought her lips to him and gave him a long lingering kiss. It made Rogue feel very uncomfortable that she turned away.

Rogue, this is Emma

Rogue heard the telepathic voice in her head.

Turn around

She did as followed and floating from the clutches of Emma's hand was a small key. It floated towards her and she grabbed it and hid it in the back of her shirt.

Get as far out of here as you can. Stay away from John. I mean it or it will be the end of all of us.

X~X~X~X

"Do what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" She never thought she'd see Gambit this soon after he dismissed her but she knew eventually he would come looking for her, seeking her. She knew that they belonged together.

"You know why I'm here Belle," he said with a focused concentration as she pushed the bar stool out for him with her long bare legs perfectly revealed in the short dress she wore. In another life he would have fallen for her seductive tactics or at least succumb to them willingly but things have changed for him, Rogue changed him.

"Humor me," she said without so much as a break in her stance.

"Rogue, you took her, I want to know where."

"Ah yes the brunette. Just what is it about that girl that she has Allerdyce and now you falling to their knees? Does she have some mutant powers that make stupid men even stupider."

"That's enough, Belle, where did you take her?" She could tell his voice was very serious and for the first time she felt that he really was lost to her and it made her angry.

"What are you going to Remy? Kill me if I don't? Do you have some assassin in you?" She smirked as she said this and it just made him angrier.

"Listen here, Belle," he said as he grabbed her by the wrist and held it tightly. "You're going to tell me where she is or one way or another I'll make your life in New Orleans hell." He finally did it, Belle realized that Remy Lebeau had absolutely no more love for her. He was forceful with her, he had to restrain himself from hurting her and that was a revelation.

They grew up together, loved each other, were promised to each other and now all that meant nothing to him all because of one girl.

"All this for one girl?" She said startled at his use of force. "You'd hurt me over one plain looking insignificant girl. Not even your girl, she belongs to Allerdyce."

The way he looked at her she knew that he was not the same person anymore, the man she grew up with and loved is gone. She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and handed it to him.

"I hope you get her someday."

Remy let go of Belladonna's wrist and opened the folded paper with more anger in his voice. "You took her to Stryker?"

He remembered when he was kidnapped by Stryker and what could have been if he had not escaped. "If anything happens to her I'm coming back for you Belle, and I won't be as forgiving."

She looked at the invisible trail of anger and disappointment that he left behind and whispered to herself, "Goodbye, Remy."

X~X~X~X

I'm not dead! I'm really trying to wrap this story up and I know it's been very long and drawn out but I promise just a few more chapters. I'll try to update again at the end of this week. If I don't then I'll have two chapters up next time.

~Leah