A knife whizzed through the air from behind where Remy and Rogue stood and stabbed into the floor at 'Donna's feet.

"I think you misplaced that," muttered a gruff, snide voice from behind the duo. "You should be more careful in the future." Her heart frozen, Rogue whirled, dragging Remy's arm (and the rest of Remy) along with her. The color drained from her face in a comical parody's of 'Donna's, but for a different reason: relief.

Behind her, standing where there had just been, moments earlier, a corpse, was Logan. His shirt was stained with blood, and he was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, but he was very much alive. And that was all that mattered.

"Logan?" she cried, lunging forward and throwing her arm about the short man's neck. "Oh thank God!" Caught completely off guard, Logan hesitantly wrapped an arm around the girl, looking awkward and unsure of what to do. Truth be told, he'd never found himself in this kind of situation before. Young girls just didn't run up and hug him every day. Still, the fact that one was willing to do so made Logan smile slightly.

"Take it you would've missed me, kid?" me whispered into Rogue's ear, being careful not to touch her skin. She blushed and released her hold, dropping back onto the floor.

"So long as you're not trying to kill me, I prefer you alive, yes," she whispered back.

Observing from behind, Remy was crestfallen…well, shocked and slightly crestfallen. The shock came from seeing a dead man standing, holding his friend. The crestfallenness came from the fact that Rogue's arms were wrapped around this 'dead-man' and not Remy himself.

"He's…alive," the Cajun muttered in disbelief. Behind him, 'Donna fell to her knees on the floor, white as a sheet. The assassin was used to death and destruction, but seeing her targets revive themselves after being slain was a different story entirely.

"Jesus Christ," she hissed under her breath, shaking fervently. Unfortunately, the noise attracted Logan's attention. He gently pushed Rogue out of his way…

SNIKT …and popped one set of claws.

"Oh shit…" Remy muttered, backing away as the Canadian shifted his focus away from Rogue. Logan started towards him, growling menacingly.

"You and I got some unfinished business, punk!" he declared, pointing dangerously at Remy with his sharp tipped claws. Sighing, Rogue thrust herself between the pair and latched onto Logan's arm.

"Stop it, both of you!" she ordered. "Rounds one and two were destructive enough. Do we really need a round three?" Pressed flat against the far wall, Remy thanked the 'powers that be' for send him the only thing that seemed capable of calming the destructive man. Course, if it hadn't been for Rogue in the first place…

SNAKT The claws disappeared and Remy let out a sigh of relief. Still positioned between the two feuding men, Rogue extended her hand towards the Cajun.

"That's better. Remy LeBeau, this is Logan," she said by way of introduction. "Logan, this is my friend, Remy." She put her hands on her hips, staring indignantly back and forth between the two men. "Well, c'mon…"

"C'mon what, hun?" Remy demanded, cocking an eyebrow and watching Logan's hands carefully.

"Shake hands," she ordered.

"What!"

"No way in hell!" Rogue stamped her foot indignantly, and grabbed both men 'round the wrists, hauling them together with surprising strength.

"Look," she explained, forcing their fists within inches of each other. "You two are both my friends. And friends of mine do not try and kill each other. So shake!" Logan curled up his lip in disgust. "Now!"

Both hands met briefly, as the men tried to crush each others fingers. Logan stared cruelly into Remy's glasses as the two broke apart.

"Good, now, what are we going to do?" Rogue demanded as Remy went to help the trembling 'Donna over to the couch…er, what was left of it. It was still smoldering slightly, but there were a few cushions intact still, and Bella collapsed onto them gratefully.

"You…" she muttered in a shaking voice, pointing one trembling hand at Logan. "I…I killed you."

"Yeah."

"You're supposed to be dead."

"Eh," Logan shrugged, rolling his eyes, "I got better. So," he turned to Rogue, " are you coming back with me willingly, or am I going to have to drag you kicking and screaming?" Rouge looked up from where she was helping 'Donna. The look on her face plainly said that she hadn't been expecting that question. Remy jumped in for her.

"Personally, Ah don' tink kickin' and screamin' de answer here, homme," he said, leaning against the remaining arm of the couch. "Case you didn' hear right from you position on da floor over dere, our little Roguey's got some people after her head, aside from you o'course." Apparently Logan hadn't heard, because that statement caught him way off guard. Surprisingly, he turned on Rogue for answers.

"What? Why are they after you?" Patting 'Donna's knee comfortingly, she shrugged. Once again, Remy fielded the question, and Logan was starting to look pissed that this two-bit, half-pint had the answers to all he needed. Plus the fact that he still didn't trust him…

"Look, all we know is dat dere were two other people dat went to da same bar as you, looking for our little fille," the Cajun explained, holding up two fingers. "Two women, one blonde an' nasty, da other redhead and light-drinker. Dat's all we got to go on. But instinct tells me," he continued, his voice serious, " dat if dese girls came as far as you did, muscles, den dey want Rogue here bad." But as they were talking, Rogue had a sudden flash of insight. If Logan wasn't out to kill her, then the other X-Men probably weren't either. Which meant…

"A redhead?" she repeated out loud, looking to Logan. "Jean maybe?" Logan shrugged.

"Maybe. She's probably after her dear fiancé's ride," he muttered. Rogue's jaw dropped.

"You swiped Scott's bike?" she asked. Logan shrugged again.

"What, you think I walked here?" Rogue slapped her palm against her forehead, sighing. Then something occurred to her. A threat she hadn't even considered yet.

"You weren't supposed to leave the school yet, were you?" she demanded suddenly. "That's why you had to swipe the bike? Cause they didn't want you to leave?" Rogue glared at Logan, and the man flinched, a gesture that Remy was becoming all too familiar with.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" he finally said. "Just let you run off? Leave it up to Cyclops and those other freaks to find you?" Rogue sighed again and started pacing back and forth across the room, trying to find a way to make all the pieces fit together.

"Look, that guy who attacked us up in Canada, he attacked us together," she said, pausing in her frantic pacing.

"So…" Logan prompted.

"So, maybe this last person, this blonde woman…maybe she's after me 'cause she thinks I'm you're with me, like the last time," Rogue declared, a look of triumph on her face. "Maybe she's working for that guy who's after you."

"Look," Remy interjected, speaking up for the first time in quite a while, "if Ah'm followin' dis' all straight, and dese people are after you chere," he pointed to Rogue, "ta get to him," his gesture flicked over to Logan. "Dan didn't you jus' give 'em exactly what dey was want'in all along?" Right then, as if on some crazy cue from fate, Logan picked up a whiff of something on the air. His head whirling around, he moved closer to where his claws had cut through the wall. A soft breeze was blowing gently through the hole.

"What?" Remy asked Rogue, watch Logan as if he were nuts. "What's he doin' now?" Logan held up his hand, demanding silence. Straining his senses, Logan sniffed the air deeply. It bore a scent he couldn't quite identify, something evil and dangerous.

"What is it?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know, but I smelled it that night at the train station. It's…I don't know, but it ain't good. And it's getting closer." Rogue shuddered, despite herself. Then a soft rattle peppered the air.

The chain and lock on the door, which 'Donna had put back in place after reviving Remy, were rattling back and forth violently.

"Um…dat ain't good," Remy declared. "Dat's never good."

rattle rattle

The handles on the cabinets vibrated like a hummingbird's wings as the group whirled at the new noise. Then, across the room, a tall floor lamp crashed to the floor, it's bulb shattering.

"That's it, we're getting outta here," Logan declared, grabbing Rogue around the wrist. "There another way besides the front door?" he demanded, turning to 'Donna. The young woman seemed to have regained most of her composure.

"Yeah," she spluttered, getting to her feet, "out da fire escape in mah room. Leads t'da back parking lot." Logan made for that direction, hauling an unwilling Rogue behind him.

"Good, let's go," but nobody followed.

"Remy!" Rogue cried, as she was hauled around the corner into the room. "C'mon!" But Remy stood rooted where he was, his eyes focused on 'Donna, who moved resolutely about the room. She paused when she saw that he was still here. Grabbing him by the front of his trench coat, Bella threw Remy towards the bedroom door.

"Go!" she ordered, thrusting a finger towards the direction of her room. "Go with them, they need you." As the front doorknob quivered and rattled even louder behind her, Remy shook his head.

"Not witout you. Ah ain't leavin' you behind!"

'Donna responded by kicking over her kitchen table and seizing two long, carefully crafted blades fastened underneath. Twirling them skillfully, she turned a look of pure malice on the lone man.

"Ah might be legit now, LeBeau, but Ah'm an assassin born and raised! Ah can handle mahse'f!" She brandished one dagger over her shoulder. "Ah'll hold 'em off, now get!" Remy opened his mouth to protest, but stopped as 'Donna continued. "Look Remy, fer da firs' time in mah life, Ah'm doin' what Ah want. This is mah home now, and it's da on'y one Ah got. Ah'm not leavin' it jus' 'cause some bad ass is tryin'' ta scare me. So go, and let meh handle mah life mahse'f." His heart heavy, Remy nodded in consent. Deep down, he knew just how she felt. He made a beeline for the bedroom.

Pausing in the doorway, he turned to look at Belladonna one last time, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Look 'Donna, Ah cain't tank you 'nough," but she cut him off, reaching over to retrieve something from a basket on her wrecked counter.

"Take 'em," she ordered, tossing Remy a set of keys. "Consider dis mah tanks fer, ya know, not tellin' mah father where Ah was all dis time." With that, she leaned over quick and planted a kiss of the Cajun's cheek. "Good luck," she whispered into his ear. "You take care o' dat girl now, ya here?"

"Gumbo, move!" came the shout from the other room, and Remy pulled out of 'Donna's grasp. He didn't speak as he left the room, but there was no need to. He and Belladonna knew each other, and some things just didn't need to be spoken to be understood. She go the message, though, as she watch Remy slip into the bedroom and out of sight.

Logan caught Remy by the arm as he hurdled into the room.

"Done with your lamenting goodbyes yet?" he demanded caustically, following the Cajun over to the window, Rogue nowhere in sight. Remy was instantly relieved when he glanced outside and saw the girl climbing down the fire escape. He didn't trust this Logan guy, and despite the girl's assurances, he still felt that something not quite right was at work here. Little did he know that Logan had the same reservations about him in return.

"Move!" the older man shouted from behind as Remy paused by the windowsill, eyes glued to Rogue as she slid down the ladder with expert grace. He growled low under his breath to reinforce the order. With a cocky grin, Remy stepped out on the platform, and then leapt off it, plunging the two stories to the ground below. Logan sighed as he scrambled down the ladder last.

Getting to the ground, Logan was disappointed to see Remy standing and in one piece, and with Rogue's arm laced through his.

"Break it up, you two," he ordered, kicking aside a dumpster to reveal where he'd stashed his bike after discovering Remy's destination. "We gotta," But Remy put him off, charging around to the front of the building, calling back,

"Hang on a sec," as he pulled something out of his pocket. A minute later a loud bike roared to life and Remy came gliding around the corner seated on it.

"Remy," Rogue hollered over the roar, "where d'ya get the bike?" She was pissed. They hiked miles through the swamp when he had this hidden all along? That conversation wasn't going to go over well.

"It's 'Donna's!" he shouted back, tossing her a tattered helmet with a stylized 'A' on the back. "It's on loan." Scotching forward, Remy gestured for Rogue to hop on behind him.

Watching the duo from behind, Logan growled angrily. Protectively, he wrapped his arm 'round the girl's shoulder and pulled her on behind him instead, shooting Remy a dirty look that clearly said 'keep your hands to yourself.' Rogue clinging tightly to his waist, he kicked his own 'on loan' vehicle to life and tore out of the lot and onto a dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust for Remy to follow. And as the dust and diesel filled the air, Logan caught the same dangerous scent hanging in the air, growing stronger and thicker around them. Whoever-or whatever- it belonged to was catching up to them. And something told Logan they wouldn't be able to run for much longer.

The battered and beaten door rattled in its frame, the little golden chain-lock vibrating fit to burst. A few seconds later the screws shot from their sockets and rocketed into the opposite wall, narrowly missing 'Donna's head. The lock itself followed inches behind.

Despite her bold words, the woman was shaking. Belladonna was used to being outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed, but this…what she felt, saw tasted on the air, this threat was something she'd never experienced before. And heaven help her, she was frightened. Lightly, she touched the right hand blade to the back of her neck, against a small red tattoo: a stylized 'A' that was the mark of the 'ssassins. 'Just for luck,' she told herself before planting her feet staring down the door. She didn't have to wait long.

A loud SLAM reverberated throughout the entire building as something massive was rocketed against the door. The weak wood never had a chance as it folded and clattered to the floor, showering the blonde in splinters. But she stood firm, unfazed. Through the mist of wood shavings and twilight, a silhouette appeared.

The figure hovered in the doorframe, face shrouded in shadow, completely alone. But 'Donna didn't need to see him to feel the evil and desperation he was emitting. Gripped tightly in her sweaty right hand, Belladonna cocked her arm, rearing it back to throw.

"Get the hell outta mah home!" she cried, hurling the blade with all the force she could muster. Her aim was true as the knife flew through the air, targeted directly at the figure's chest. It would have been a killing cut…would have.

Suddenly the knife stopped in midair. In the darkness, the figure raised one hand and twitched a finger in the assassin's direction. Obeying, the knife turned and, before she could think to move, buried itself in 'Donna chest's, straight through her heart. One final breath escaped her lips as she fell to the floor, still as a stone.

A/N: Now, this really was designed to be part of the last chapter, but it was just too long, so they got split up. Lot's of dialogue here, but Rogue and Logan had some things to catch up on. Don't worry, there's plenty more ROMY in chapters ahead. This chapter's coming out so quickly to make up for that long delay. Consider this my little apology present. Now we're even, kay? I want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far: thanks for all your comments, critiques, and support. You've made this story the success that it is. So THANK YOU! THANKS A TON! I love you like a fat kid loves cake! I love you like I love ROMY! (yes, I'm highly enthuastic, so sue me). Alright, now please review this part of the story and give me more helpful comments that make my day.