The scent of New Orleans hung thick in the air, a combination of bourbon and stale perfume, of glory and history, of wealth and poverty, of the future, and the long forgotten past. To anyone else, it would have smelled like new beginnings. But as Rogue breathed in the rich scent around her, she knew better than to believe that.

There was no such thing as a new beginning. Not for someone like her.

No matter where she went, she would always be a prisoner. Guilty of evolving and sentenced to spend all of eternity locked within her own skin. There were no fresh starts for her, she knew. The outcomes would always be the same, just the settings would be different.

Around her, the city was alive with sounds and color. Night was just falling as Rogue stepped off the open-air train platform, but the city seemed to be waking in the growing darkness. Voices rose around her as she stepped into the crowd and found herself swept away by the current of rushing bodies. Tourists and businessmen, families and couples, all swarming to reach their destinations. And one lost, lonely teen caught up in the madness.

After an hour of walking, Rogue was still getting nowhere. Pulling a quickly thinning wad of cash from her pocket, Rogue bought a cup of coffee off a street vendor. Retreating from the crowds around the corner of a closed office building, she leaned against the wall by the alley, resting her tired feet and sipping slowly at the hot drink. She let out a long sigh, glancing back at the people rushing along the main drag. 'They're all so happy,' she mused. 'Bet they all have somewhere to go home to tonight. Someone to go home to.'

Tired of staring at everything she didn't have, Rogue looked down the rapidly cooling drink in her hand. Being on her own had been hard the first time around, but this time…it felt so much harder. Maybe that was because this time she had found acceptance, and had lost it. She'd found her happy ending and then she had to go and screw it up.

Bitter and miserably, she shifted the heavy duffle on her shoulder. And that's when she felt it. Something pressing against her leg. Whirling instinctually, she threw out her arm.

Her assailant shot her a gap toothed grin, one hand emerging from her cloak pocket, triumphantly clutching the last of her money, the other hand catching her flying arm in a surprisingly strong grip. He was filthy, his greasy gray hair matted against his skull. His vile breath made her cringe as he pulled her close.

"Ah, ah, ah misse," he hissed dangerously. "You best not be throwin' your arm 'round like dat." With that, he jerked her viscously into the alley, catching her off guard and making her stumble. "You migh' hurt somebody." Rogue did the only thing her shocked and panicked brain could think of.

"Ahhhhh," she screamed. Or at least she tried to. That's when she discovered her assailant had a partner. He emerged from the shadows behind her, clamping a hairy hand over her mouth with a hushed,

"I got 'er, Touley!" Bad idea.

Rogue felt her powers swelling inside her as the man's bare flesh pressed against her own. Tremors rippled down his body as she felt the vile thief's consciousness welling beneath her own. Power gripped every fiber of her being as his energy, his strength, his life force flowed into her. Struggling futilely against the man's convulsive grip, trying desperately to break contact, Rogue never heard the shouts of the man's companion, never saw the pipe flying threw the air…until it was too late.

The darkness consumed her as her prone body hit the ground, next to that of her unconscious victim.

A/N: Yay! First chappie. I know it's short. Thee next one will be longer, don't worry. And no, the toothless thief wasn't Gambit, so don't worry. But do go review. I love reviews! C'mon, no more reviews no more updates…