"Wake up ya damn bloke!" an unconscious Jack Lang heard from the back of his head. He slowly opened his eyes, to find three people standing in front of him. His arms and legs were bound together. His vision was blurry as he was confused of what was happening. He looked around at his surroundings scared.

"Aw, sugah, don' worry, ya won' be scared much longer," Rogue looked at him with a smile playing on her face.

He looked up at the girl, realizing who she was, "You filthy muties! Untie me now!"

John laughed at the boy's demands, "You are not in the position to be makin' demands mate."

Jack glared at the orange haired mutant, "And do you have any idea of who I am?! If any harm comes to me, you'll be lucky if you get life in prison!"

Pyro rolled his eyes and looked at his two friends, "Geez, for being a 'threat to mutant kind' he's not a bright one," he knocked on the boy's head, "HELLO! Of course we know who you are, that's why we're killing you."

He looked up this time at them with fear in his eyes, "Kill? But you can't. Please! You can't do this!"

"Sorry sugah, ah ain't got a choice in tha mattah," Rogue began to walk over towards him taking off her glove. She kneeled down next to him.

"Please Rogue! I'll do anything you want! I'll leave mutants alone, I swear!" Jack was beginning to cringe away.

She paused and stared at the scared boy directly in the eyes. She shook her head, "Ya shouldn' lie ta meh Jackie boy," she tapped the temple of her head letting Lang in on her secret, "Ya can' lie ta a telepath, you and ah know what's gonna happen if ah let ya go."

His eyes lost their fear after she said that, and he looked at her with hate. "If you kill me everything will be worse for mutants! You'll get everything you freaks deserve!"

"Nah mate, cause nobody's going to know mutants did it," Pyro looked at Rogue feeling sympathy for his friend. She had hurt in her eyes.

She looked back at the naïve man, and brought her hand closer to his face, "Now ya bettah brace yo'self sugah, cause this is really gonna hurt."

The boy looked at Rogue with terror and hate in his eyes, he tried to back away from her outreaching hand, but the effort was fruitless as he was tied to a poll in the docking area.

Pyro and Colossus looked at Rogue, waiting for it to be over with, until they saw a beam of red light blow through a nearby crate, startling the three of them. Rogue put her glove back on turning away from her victim for the moment and stood up. "Well, well boys, looks lahke we got company. How bout we show them some southern hospitality."

They both nodded their heads as Pyro began to shoot flames and Colossus metaled up.

Jean was the first one to float through the area, followed by Scott, Kitty, Nightcrawler, and a sly Cajun making his way towards the front holding a glowing card.

"The red head is mahne boys," she lifted herself into the air with her stolen powers, "Take whoever ya'll want."

Rogue and Jean glared at one another for a few seconds before the first psychic blast was sent towards Rogue. She blocked it and sent a more powerful one towards Jean. The red head tried to block it, but her mind was being attacked at the same time by Rogue, and she was thrown back against the ground knocking her unconscious.

Rogue smiled to herself, and turned back towards Lang to find that a certain Kitty had untied the boy. She knocked Kitty off her feat with a psychic blast and made her way over to her prey before he could escape.

Holding him in place, she surveyed the area only to find Pyro making a dragon attacking Nightcrawler, and him desperately trying to dodge the animal. Rogue sent Pyro a message telepathically, 'you bettah be careful with mah fuzzball of a brother Aussie, or ah'm gonna send ya back ta Australia in pieces!' He began to laugh and nodded his head, letting her know he understood.

Colossus was fighting Cyclops in the corner of the building. She could see Scott getting upset as his beams had no effect on the metal man, his attempts were becoming futile.

She turned back to Lang and grabbed his arm harshly, "C'mon stud, we need some alone tahme," she pulled him out of the building and was making her way towards the water, when Gambit stopped her in her path.

"You leave without sayin' goodbye ta Gambit chere?" he was leaning on his staff and looked hurt, but Rogue continued to glare at him knowing him better.

"This ain't none of yer concern swamp rat, so either help me or get outta the way!"

He looked down and shook his head, "Remy can' help you the way you want chere," he looked at her with hurt in his eyes, "Dat why he gonna hate ta fight de River Rat he fell in love with."

Her eyes opened wide, surprised by his words. She wanted more then anything to let the scumbag go and hug Remy, never letting him go. But there was too much at steak now to back off.

"Thank god! At least one of you mutant freaks has some sense," the voice cut into Gambit like a knife, and he glared at Lang.

"Shut up an' let mom an' dad talk boy!" he hit him on the head with his staff causing the boy to fall down.

Rogue looked at Lang with disgust in her eyes. Now, more than ever, she wanted to suck the life out of him and make him suffer. She took off her glove and started towards him when a kick from under her legs made her crash to the floor.

"Remy can' let you do dat chere," he was in a fighting stance now, waiting for Rogue to attack.

"Ya know sugah, ya keep searchin' fo' the truth with meh, yer soon gonna regret it," she flew up back to her feet, with fire burning in her eyes. More than ever, Gambit regretted he did that. She metaled up using Colossus' ability and picked up discarded wood on the ground charging it up.

"Merde," was all he breathed out before she threw it at him. He dodged the attack and sent some cards of his own back at her. She dodged his attack with telekinesis, and sent a psychic blast towards him.

"This is pointless Remy! Don' ya undahstand, that ya can' hurt meh!"

"Oui, but Remy not tryin' ta hurt you, he tryin' ta save you."

They were interrupted however when Pyro joined. He looked at the two and shouted to Rogue, "Need some help Sheila?"

Rogue nodded her head and made her way over to Lang and shouted, "Surround us in fire John!" Pyro nodded his head making the flames rise high into the air. Remy stood on the outside catching glimpses of Rogue looking at him through the fire.

She began to speak telepathically to the Cajun, 'This is the only way Remy, ah'm sorry,' her eyes stared into his own, revealing all the pain she'd been put through over the last couple of weeks.

Gambit yelled back, trying desperately to get through to her, "No Rogue, It don' have ta be dis way! Come back ta da institute with me Rogue, we'll fix dis!"

She continued to stare at him, afraid to look away fearing she'd never see him again. 'No, ah coul' nevah go back aftah this, ya deserve bettah Remy.'

"Der nothing better dan you Rogue."

Rogue had tears shinning in her eyes at what Gambit had said. She turned her head, in attempt to distract her attention away from Remy, when she noticed Lang trying to make his way out of the fire, she grabbed him telekinetically and held him close to her then looked back at Remy, 'Ya can' save me sugah, ah'm too far gone."

Remy shook his head in disbelief of what she was telling him. His heart was breaking for the only girl he ever cared about. He looked at her and could see through the flames as tears were streaking down her face. The first time he ever saw her really cry, and he hated it more than anything in the world. He wanted to kill the man who made her cry, but found himself stuck to where he was looking at her for what he thought would be the last time.

She looked at him one last time and spoke out loud this time, "Remembah meh how ah use ta be, an' that ah loved ya more than lahfe itself Remy LeBaeu."

"Chere."

"Ah'm sorrah," she made the flames go higher with Pyro's stolen powers not letting Remy in. She turned to Lang changing her fragile look to a malicious demeanor.

She walked towards the boy holding him in his place, "You disgust me you mutant freak!"

"Ah don' thank too fondly of ya either," she then smiled at Lang and got an inch from his face, "How bout we part with a kiss sugah?"

Before he could react she kissed him full on the lips, absorbing everything about him. He tried to scream and pull away, but was defeated as he began to loose strength. Rogue was crying through the kiss as the memories of Lang were flowing into her own mind, the knowledge of what killing a man would do to her, and the thought of loosing the one man she ever loved, Remy.

The flames died down after five minutes or so and Remy ran into where Lang was. He was dead, Remy searched around the whole area for Rogue, but found no trace. He came upon a dark brown trench coat laid gently on the ground.

He picked up the coat and stared at it. His face was covered in dirt and his eyes sparkled in unshed tears. "Ya know mate, she loved ya till the end," Pyro stood next to him and whispered out.

Gambit put the coat on and walked away never acknowledging Pyro. He put his hands into his pockets and found a piece of paper. Gambit stopped and opened it revealing a note from Rogue, 'Some day, I'll be back for this. Love, Rogue.'

He folded the note back up and put it back in his pocket and headed towards the building back with the X-Men.