Title: Not Like It Should Be
Author: Natalia Melissa Vronsky
Email: blackqueenphoenix@yahoo.com or sputiehead@aol.com
Web-page: www.geocities.com/blackqueenphoenix
Part: six of ?
Category: Rogue/Gambit (kitty, jubilee, john, bobby, warren, betsy)-Gambit POV
Rating: R for language... and violence/references to violence.
Summary: Someone dies in this one, folks. :( AND we see some old 'friends'.
Disclaimer: Marvel Character Inc. does... 20th Century Fox own the X-Men etc. ... yadda yadda... not me... don't sue... blah, blah... okay?
*Ariana Jenkins/Freeze* is mine, *Melt* is mine, *Chiara* is mine, and Aqua is mine. You wanna use them? Go ahead... jus' ask... 'kay?
Author's Notes: my apologies for who I kill. I hope ya'll don't hate me and throw rocks at me! :o I stressed a lot over this... and debated over who... and this was who I came out with... sorry if'n you don't like it.
Thanks: to Cassie and Daisy for being the worlds bestest beta's. :) And to anyone whose read/responded... as always, tante mille grazie!
Dedicated: To all those lost on Sept. 11, 2001... and all those effected in any way shape or form by what happened...
Archive: Feel free to archive anywhere... I don't care so long as it's not at some "worst fan-fiction ever" page... also... just let me know, 'kay? And if you have my previous consent... you don't have to ask me over and over, 'kay?
Feedback: PLEASE! I don't care if'n you flame me... just respond... it's nice to know what others think of my work. PLEASE!

"It had been about an hour since Rogue and the others had left... and I started to worry.

They should of gone and come back by now. And... to make things worse, Psylocke and Chiara together can't get in touch with any of them.

Pyro and Melt never came back... just another thing for me to worry about.

The only ones who aren't phased by any of this are the little kids. Everyone else knows what they'd gone out to do.

When Psylocke let out a scream... and Chiara started sobbing as though she were in pain... I knew something had gone really wrong.

'What happened?' Husk asked.

'Betsy passed out!' Angel shouted.

An old man, who said he was a doctor, looked over Psylocke while the rest of us turned our attention to Chiara. 'What happened?'

'I don't know. Somebody... hurt... maybe dead.'

'Who!?!' I yelled, praying it hadn't been Rogue.

'I don't know.' She sobbed.

'Merde.' I muttered. I faced the big Russian guy, Piotr, who sat in a corner. 'You, an' Jubilee, come wit' me. ShadowCat... y'r'in charge.' With that I headed out.

Neither hesitated to follow me out of the tunnels. 'You don't think it's Rogue... do you?' Jubilee asked me.

'I bet I think it's Rogue 'bout as much as y'think it's Ice-Man, neh?' I ask her... knowing I cut a bit deep. She and Ice-Man said that if they could, they'd get married.

Something whizzed by us, then stopped in front of me. 'Can I come? I could be helpful.' It was Quicksilver.

'Sure... why not. I'll lead more of y'to y'r'deaths. Non! Go back!'

'You know... Gambit... you don't have to be such a jerk all the time. Think about it. If the Avengers are helping Apocalypse... maybe they'll listen to me.'

'Let him come... please?' Jubilee pleaded with those big eyes of hers. Only Rogue was better at the puppy dog eyes thing.

'Damn it... less talk, more walk.' Is all I say, allowing Quicksilver to stay.

'Too bad Kurt isn't here... he could just port us there...' Jubilee said, then bit her lip.

If ShadowCat had been here, she'd of started bawling like a baby. She and Kurt were engaged.

'Oui... or if Quicksilver had super-strength... he could carry us dere in no time flat.'

'Hey... I could get Jube's there... not you two, though. Too heavy.' He said with a grin.

'This is not the time to jest.' Piotr says. His metal face is grim.

'Ever hear of trying to make the best of a bad situation? I love Ice-Man. If he dies... I'll die. But harping about it isn't going to change whatever it is that already happened.' Jubilee said. I don't think I've ever seen her so angry.

'Calm down.' I said in a stern tone. 'Quicksilver, go ahead... den come back wit' what y'find.'

'Sure.' With that he ran off.

'Sorry, Jubilee.' Piotr said after a while of walking.

'It's okay.' She said, brushing him off, walking ahead a bit.

Quicksilver came back after about five minutes.

'Well?' Jubilee asked impatiently.

'There was no one there... at least... not alive.' He said, looking nervously at the three of us.

'Who?' Jubilee asked, tears welling in her eyes.

'I...'

'Say it already.' My patience growing thin.

'I'm sorry, Jube's.' That letting her know that Ice-Man was indeed the one dead.

She let out a strangled sob. Maybe I should of brought ShadowCat instead. 'Who else?'

'A couple of others... Forge... Polaris... Iron Man... that was it. I don't know where the others are. I mean... I looked all around... I even into the palace. Everything was empty.'

'Why don' y'get Jubilee back t'de mansion... den come back wit' Husk an' Angel.'

'Yeah... okay.' He picked up the sobbing Jubilee and sped off back to the tunnels.

'What are we going to do now?' Piotr asked me.

'Keep lookin' for Rogue an' de others.'

'We should wait... shouldn't we? After all, whoever attacked could still be other there.'

'Don't count on it.' Rogue said, running into my arms. I held her tight... too afraid to let her go.

M, Pyro, Melt and Freeze are not too far behind her. As are Magneto and his Acolytes.

'The place was empty... and there were only three people there...' Rogue said.

'Forge, Polaris an' Iron Man?'

'Yeah.' She'd still hadn't moved away from me. I'm not sure if it's just held over fear and anger towards Magneto and what he'd done to her. Or, if it was because of Ice-Man's death. He was her best friend, after all.

'I hear my children are living with you?' Magneto asked.

'Oui. Quicksilver was jus' here... went t'go take Jubilee back after he tol' her 'bout Ice-Man.'

'Oh... poor Jubilee.' M said, tears in her eyes.

'Let's go home...' Rogue said, moving out of my arms finally... but keeping a firm hold on my hand. She faced Magneto for a second. 'If you and your followers are comin', you play by our rules... otherwise, find somewhere else ta stay.'

Magneto laughed and nodded.

With that, we headed back home."

- Gambit -

I'm sorry for killing Bobby! It just works with where I'm going... and I'm 99% sure he wont be the last...
I've got... five... maybe six more parts to go... I'm not really sure. It just depends on how long the parts are.

".... and I know it aches,
and your heart,
it breaks,
you can only take so much..." U2 "Walk On"