Thanx to rainie_dae, DemonRogue13, PomegranateQueen and Snowee2003 for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't – oh for crying out loud. You all know this part already. Just make up you own, OK?

No one was sorry to leave the X-Jet when they arrived at the industrial site just outside Bayville. Pietro had barely been able to stay in his seat and kept hassling Logan to go faster. Lance gripped the armrests throughout the flight, almost as green as Toad. Scott and Jean were arguing, telepathically, but no one could miss how angry Jean was even if they didn't know what she was saying. Kitty was telling Kurt in a quiet voice all that she knew about the relationship between Pietro and Kurt, which wasn't much. Kurt was mad at her for not telling him as soon as she found out and although he didn't tell Kitty, he was also hurt that once again Mystique had shown favouritism to her adopted daughter and seemingly no concern for her son.

            Pietro was off the jet the moment it landed, closely followed by Lance, who ducked behind a building with his hand over his mouth. As the X-Men disembarked, Pietro turned to them irritably. "Where-is-she?"

            "Cerebro can't pinpoint her location exactly – " began Logan.

            "Wait." Jean frowned as she picked up a telepathic message.

            *//Can anyone hear me? //*

            *//Rogue, it's Jean. Calm down! We're here. //*

            *//Pietro -//*

            *//He's here. He's not hurt. Where are you? //*

            *// Ah don't know for sure. A warehouse, ah think. Mystique got me with some knockout gas or something – she's tryin to -//*

            *//Rogue? //*

            "She's in a warehouse somewhere," Jean told them. "I've lost communication with her. I think Mystique realised that she was talking to me."

            "So-let's-go-find-her!" Pietro sped off before anyone could stop him.

            Logan groaned. "Shadowcat, take Avalanche and go after him. The rest of you, start searching the area. And be careful. I can't track her, or Rogue for some reason."

            Kitty grabbed an embarrassed-looking Lance by the hand as he emerged from behind the building and they went in the direction of the mini-tornado that was Pietro at full speed.

            "Like, what is it about bad guys and warehouses anyway?" asked Kitty.

            Lance shrugged. "Atmosphere? Tradition? Because they're outta the way and there's usually boxes and shit to throw at people – hey Pietro, what're you doin?"

            "All the doors are locked!" Pietro sounded surprised.

            "Like that's a problem." Kitty took the boys by the hand and phased them all through the wall of the nearest warehouse. There was no one there. Nor in the next one. Or the next.

            "Maybe the others have found her," suggested Lance.

            Kitty shook her head. "Jean would have let us know by now."

            "Let's-go-already!" shouted Pietro impatiently.

            The trio phased through the wall of the next warehouse and the first thing they saw was the still form of Rogue lying on the floor.

            "Rogue!" Pietro sped over to her and knelt beside her. "Are-you-OK-talk-to-me!"

            Kitty hurriedly sent a telepathic message to Jean and she and Lance hurried over. "Is she alright?" Kitty asked.

            "Just a bloody nose, I think, but she's not movin." Pietro was looking worried. "Where'd Mystique go?"

            A loud crash signalled that Cyclops had just blown the door of the warehouse off their hinges and the X-Men rushed into the building. They paused at the door to survey the scene, then Scott made as if to race over to Rogue, but Wolverine grabbed him by the arm to hold him back.
            "That's not –"

            Rogue sat up and morphed into Mystique as she threw the gas pellet she'd been hiding beneath her at the group at the door. It went off as it reached them and suddenly the X-Men were choking, collapsing to the floor. Pietro, Kitty and Lance, stood behind her and out of range, were briefly too stunned to react.

            As Mystique got to her feet, Lance rolled his eyes back in his head and set off an earth tremor. She stumbled for a second, then leapt into the air and delivered a kick to his head that knocked him across the room.

            Pietro ran over to Mystique and managed to punch her seven times in less than a second. She fell to one knee and glared at the teen through yellow eyes. "You're too late Quicksilver. She's mine now!" With that, she changed form into a large timber wolf and lunged. Only Pietro's speed kept him from being attacked, and it had been frighteningly close. The wolf skidded to a stop and turned for another attack.

            Wolverines healing factor helped him to recover from the effects of the knockout gas uncannily fast. He opened his eyes to see Quicksilver trying to stare down a huge wolf, Avalanche dazed and bleeding against a wall and Shadowcat trying to help her former boyfriend to his feet whilst shooting anxious looks at the animal in the centre of the room.

            Logan jumped to his feet and unsheathed his claws. "Give it up Mystique!"

            The wolf turned to Logan and began to advance. He glanced up at the others. "You three go find Rogue!"

            Lance stared at him. "But Mystique – "

            "Just go kid!"

            The wolf spring at Wolverine and he dodged it, opening three wounds in its side with his claws. Kitty didn't wait to see any more. She took the two boys by the hand and phased them through the wall into the next warehouse. Empty. The next wall took them outside and they crossed some open land to get to the next one, again phased through the wall to search it.

            "She's-still-not-here!" yelled Pietro furiously.

            "There's still more places to check, so calm down. She's got to be here somewhere," replied Kitty, phasing them through the next wall –

            And there was Rogue, tied to a chair, eyes closed.

            "Rogue!" Pietro was at her side in a second. "Is-it-really-you-this-time?"

            "Pietro!" Rogues eyes flew open. "Uh, you keep a triffid under the bed and you've got a love bite next to your right nipple!"

            "Ohmigod, your OK!" Pietro quickly undid the restraints, pulled her out of the chair, picked her up by the waist and swung her around.

            Rogue laughed. "Ah can't believe you're alright! Mystique thought she'd caught you in a trap!"

            "She'll never catch me – I'm too fast!"

            "Shit Speedy," smiled Rogue, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You were slow enough with the rescue." Then she kissed him and the couple forgot everything but each other.

            Across the room, Lance put his arm around Kitty's shoulders. She smiled up at him. "I never thought I'd say this about Rogue of all people, but that is like, soooo sweet."

            "Yeah," said Lance absently. "Wanna go somewhere tomorrow? Movie or something?"

            "Sure, I'd love to."

            Lance grinned at Kitty and hoped to himself that he could keep from screwing things up this time. He'd already messed things up once, thanks to their different team allegiances. But if Pietro off all people could cope with dating one of the X-Men, then maybe he could do it too.

            Pietro broke off his kiss with Rogue for a fraction of a second, considering going back to the other warehouse to help Logan kick Mystiques ass. The he decided against it. He liked it better right where he was. Instead, he pulled his girlfriend closer and kissed her again, deciding that for once, everything was right with the world…

            …No. Something was wrong.

            He felt a sudden draining sensation, as though everything he'd ever known was being forced out of his head and every ounce of strength was leaving his body…

            The last thing he heard was Rogue shouting his name before he slumped to the floor, unconscious.