32

Rogue struggled, trying to pull her hands free from Jean-Luc's grip. What he was saying, about her skin, sounded crazy, but the man seemed just that. And Rogue didn't want to participate in any of the craziness this man was sprunting. She didn't want to touch the Ripper in front of her who was glancing up at her with large, painiced eyes.

Rogue went on the attack as her struggling wasn't doing anything. She stomped on Jean-Luc's foot, making his yelp out. But his grip was still tight on her. Rogue tried elbowing Jean-Luc in the gut, but her arm was restrained by one of the thieves in the basement with them. The other thief in the room stepped forwards to help in restraining her.

Rogue cried out, feeling one of her arms moved harshly behind her back while Jean-Luc tried to get a better grasp on the wrist he hand lost the firm grip on. Rogue continued to resist and fight back, biting, stomping kicking and using her body however she could to get these three thieves off her.

As she struggled, she had started to hear some commotion from the top of the stairs where the door to the basement was. At one point, she was sure she heard Theo's voice. Then, she was sure she heard Remy's.

"Remy, help me!" Rogue screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping he would hear her.

Her plea received an answer.

The door to the basement blew open and the blast sent the three thieves and Rogue tumbling over. Rogue continued to kick and fight against the thieves who were trying to get a good hold on her again. Their weight on top of her was pinning her down and crushing her lungs, making it more difficult to fight back. That was, until Remy was there.

One by one, he removed each thief from her by knocking them over the head with his bo staff. When Jean-Luc was the only one left, he realised Rogue and held his hands up in surrender. Rogue scrambled to her feet, coming to stand right behind Remy. Remy who had his bo staff at Jean-Luc's throat.

"Y' shouldn't'a done dat," Remy said, his voice deep with threat.

When Rogue glanced up at him, she saw his crimsion eyes alit wth flames. The end of his bo staff that was by Jean-Luc's neck, seemed to be sparking as well and Rogue actually became scared of who the man right in front of her was.

"She's de answer. De answer t' end it all!" Jean-Luc said as he meet his son's eyes. "Y' do dis boy, y' betrayin' y' own kind."

"Ain't nuthin' new," Remy said.

The sparks by Jean-Luc's neck sparked brighter and Rogue became fearful. Fearful for what Remy might do to his father.

"Hey," Rogue said, grabbing on to Remy's arm that held out his bo-staff. "Don't. Don't do it. He's not worth it!"

It took a moment, but those crimison iris' finally turned to her. At seeing her, something seemed to click in Remy's mind. The sparks dimmed and he lowered the bo-staff while looking her over quickly. Rogue let out a sigh, still not believing what was transpiring in the basement and thankful for Remy's interference.

Remy didn't give her time to think anything else. He'd grabbed her wrist and began to run with her towards the basement exit.

"Y' can't run forever boy! Y'll be back, an' when y' are we'll pick up right where we left off!" Jean-Luc shouted as the pair ran up the stairs.

As they emerged from the basement, Rogue saw the thieves that had been in the dining room, spralled out on the floor. Theo amoung them. She realised that they had been standing guard encase she did manage to run. Her situation became a whole lot scarier at seeing them there and she became so much more greatful for Remy's help.

Thinking of Remy, she glanced at him.

"Where we goin'?" she asked.

"Away from here," was Remy's simple response.

Rogue decided not to argue seeing how she now believed that he, Tante, Merci and Henri had all been right about Jean-Luc. Becoming a thief was not a good idea. Especially if that was what she had to look forward to. The situation had been bizzare and not made any sense to her what-so-ever, but she knew one thing an that was that it really wasn't a good situation to be in.

As they ran from room to room, they came face to face with a company of thieves, all armed and ready to do battle.

Remy released his grip upon Rogue and moved to his coat pocket. She was confused when she saw him pull out playing cards. When they began to spark in his hand and change colour though, something dawned on Rogue that made her feel almost as crazy as Jean-Luc.

Before Remy threw his cards, a grunt from a couple of thieves could be heard from the back of the crowd. Remy witnessed what was unfolding before any of the thieves stood before him could register that his brother, Herni, had joined the fight in freeing Rogue and was lauching the attack from behind. He had instructed Tante to go and find Henri as soon as she informed him of Jean-Luc taking Rogue off somewhere to which she had a bad feeling about. Now, his back up had arrived and was hindering their escape.

Seeing his brother getting in the way, Remy cursed under his breath and removed the charge from his cards. Quickly, Remy pulled out his bo staff and began to do battle with a few of the thieves heading his way.

Rogue, picking up on what was happening, refused to be taken again so easily. She began battling with a few thieves who came her way as well, but she was certainly aware that their vast numbers were putting them at a massive handicap.

"Down!" Remy yelled out.

Rogue noticed Henri duck fast and followed suit, not quite sure why or what she was doing. She just trusted the men who had only ever been trying to look out for her and followed their instructions just as she should of in the first place.

When something small, red and hot sored across her face just as she was beginning to get down, she understood why. Remy had let a large round of explosives go. Multipule explosives that hit a lot of thieves' dead on in the chest and sent them fly into walls and other nearby thieves.

Rogue found herself wide eyed and taking in the after effects of Remy's attack. She was pretty sure she had saw one of his cards that he'd had in his hand earlier flying across the sky then exploding. It was bewildering, but she just assumed Remy had, somehow, compacted explosions into his cards before this whole sinaro had even took place.

"Let's go!" Remy said, grabbing her arm once more and pulling her up on to her feet.

Rogue had to watch her footing as she made her way past the moaning thieves on the floor. The thieves that were still standing, Henri was taking care of. Rogue glanced Henri's way just as he smacked a thief in the face with his own bo staff and sent him down.

"Go!" Henri yelled at them.

Remy didn't stop and kept him and Rogue moving.

"Thank you!" Rogue yelled back over her shoulder at Henri, realising the risk he was taking for her along with Remy.

She felt terrible at leaving Henri behind to fend for himself, but she had to trust them and hope that he would be alright.