Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men because Marvel does…

AN: SORRY! I'm sorry that I left you guys hanging at the end of that chapter. It was insensitive of me. HEHEHE, but I know everyone loves cliff hangers too….

This is a short chapter. Just so that you can know what happens!

Chapter 5: Whom shall you save? Whom shall you sacrifice? Choose wisely…

Central Park where we left off…

"That's not nice. Now I'm going have to punish you for using bad words." Deadpool sneered. To everyone's horror he pulled the trigger of the gun. There a subtle popping sound that followed instantaneously. Rogue shut her eyes tight as she felt pressure increase in the side of her neck. A pricking sensation was felt and than nothing more. Rogue knew what it felt like to be shot; she had been shot more than once in her lifetime. A loud bang would occur as the bullet was released rapidly from the gun followed by an immediate intense burst of pressure and pain jolting the entire body into shock due to the sudden entrance of the foreign object. Even the stench of gun powder will linger in the air and the taste of blood would ravage the mouth. She experienced nothing of the sort this time. There was no bang, no pain, no gun powder, and no taste of blood. What she did hear was laughter from behind her and what she did feel was Deadpool's tight grip around her upper extremity. She opened her eyes slowly to see everyone staring at her blankly, the color drained from their faces. She wasn't dead, then. He hadn't shot her, had he? She slowly pushed her free arm to her neck and felt something lodged in her skin. She put her fingers around the slender object and jerked it out. She brought her hand up to her face and found a needle. The needle had fully injected some substance into her for she could still see some indication of liquid residue in it.

"Yay! You found the prize." Deadpool said derisively to Rogue. "By the way what's your name cute stuff?"

"Drop dead ass wipe!" Rogue snapped. She tried to fathom what was in the needle and why Deadpool would inject her with something instead of shooting her.

"That's kind of a weird name! I will just call you Feisty… it suits your appalling mouth well, don't you think?"

"What did yah do to meh?" Rogue asked shakily with a hint of anger in her voice. Deadpool didn't respond. Instead he shoved her away from him sending her crashing to the ground.

"Chere! Y' okay?" Remy ran up to her kneeling down at her side.

"Ah dunno! He injected meh wit something!" Rogue said hysterically rubbing her neck. Deadpool lifted his hand into the air signaling to the man holding back the X-Men's powers to stop. The telepath removed his fingers from his temples and stared at them with a permanent scowl once again. Deadpool lifted the power block knowing that the X-Men were not going to attack once they learned of the new circumstances.

The instant Logan realized he was healing again, due the swift disappearance of his wounds, he charged toward Deadpool like a wild animal and jabbed his newly released metal claw into Deadpool's belly. Deadpool stumbled back a little and then laughed, "I don't think you want to do that."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you to shreds, bub?" Logan growled removing his claws from Deadpool's abdomen and pressing it up menacingly against his neck. Deadpool didn't care about the wound. His high-speed healing abilities would take care of it.

"Cause I just shot Feisty up with some poison and only I have the antidote." Deadpool informed smiling menacingly.

"Why should I believe that?" Logan snapped pressing the tips of his claws against the skin of Deadpool's neck. Little spots of blood dribbled out of the small punctures in his skin.

"You want to bet her life on it? If I'm right she dies. If you're right we throw a party!" Deadpool answered tauntingly. Logan didn't want to believe the guy but he didn't want put Rogue's life in jeopardy either. He slowly pulled his claws away from the man. Deadpool smirked at his surrender. He had the 'geek patrol' right where he wanted them, "I didn't think so. Anyway, Feisty has a nice little toxin running in her veins right now. The poison kills its host in approximately 24 hours!" Deadpool informed.

"Mah name is not, feisty! And what do yah mean by approximately?" Rogue spat. The guy had to have been bluffing. She didn't feel sick at all.

"Well, that's what it says on the box." Deadpool shrugged casually, "Anyway, I will give you the antidote in exchange for Dr. Freeman and the ninjas." Deadpool negotiated.

"Why can't I just pry it from y' dead cold hands, homme!" Remy challenged. He and Rogue were now standing and staring at Deadpool angrily.

"Well, I kind of only brought the poison with me. Left the antidote at home by accident." He replied dryly. "Okay I lied. I think you all need to think about it for a while. See the foul mouth girl suffer a little bit. Maybe that will convince you more that I mean business. I don't want to see Feisty die, though. She has earned a spot in my heart… if I had one! We will meet back here in ooo…um… 22hrs from now. Make our little trade, Feisty will get her cure just in the nick of time, everybody wins. Chow!" Deadpool waved and pressed a button on his belt. Before anyone could stop him the portal appeared and all three men disappeared into it, leaving the X-Men behind.

"Like, what are we going to do?" Kitty asked sadly looking at Rogue. She hated the fact that once again Rogue's life was at the balance of life and death. Like everyone else, she wanted Rogue to live but she also didn't want innocent people, like Dr. Freeman, they swore to protect to get hurt.

"We need to figure out what was in that needle fast. Maybe we can find our own cure." Ororo replied.

"Indeed. Rogue, are you feeling anything at all?" Hank asked Rogue.

"Nah, Ah feel fahne, completely normal. Do yah think he was bluffing?" Rogue answered.

"I don't know. But we can't take our chances." Hank frowned, "Let's get you to the Med Bay as soon as possible. Rogue if you start to feel any changes from your current state please inform us." Rogue nodded and with that all the X-Men headed grimly back to the X-Jet.

Rogue and Remy walked behind the group contemplating the events of that day. It had started out with them being together content with life, glad to have survived two years of love collectively. Upon meeting Marie Freeman, Rogue was blasted with a dose of her pass and forced to remember the horrible events that at one time happened to her, leading her into a mode of sheer distress. Remy, who hated to see Rogue troubled, feared that she may slip into her depressed state once again. He knew he was the only person that could make her happy so he did all in his power to see her smile once more. After he did, they spent a blissful afternoon and evening together thinking of nothing but their love and devotion to each other. Now they were once again in a bad situation. Rogue's life had been endangered and Remy was driving himself crazy with concern. He worried that he would be helpless in protecting her from harm. Rogue felt like the victim yet another time. It seemed she couldn't live one day without being attacked, kidnapped, or assaulted.

"Remy?" Rogue looked at her fiancé. He hadn't said anything to her since they started toward X-Jet. She was bothered by the silence from him.

"Oui, chere?" Remy answered. He didn't want her to ask him about his past. He knew the revelation of his connection to Deadpool was floating in everyone's mind. He could feel the uneasiness and alarm in everyone's emotions. Of course some of it was due to the fact that Rogue could be dying but he knew that a small part of it was directed to him as well. He also knew that Rogue would be upset with him if she found out about Genevieve and Paris. He knew that they promised not to keep secrets from each other but some things are not meant to tell. They are meant to be kept deep within your memories and to never resurface again.

"Why ya so quiet." She asked softly. She wanted him so say something. Make a little joke like he usually would do in a normal situation. This was a normal situation. She wasn't dying. It was just a coy by a psycho path to get what he wanted. However, she couldn't help but think that everyone was mourning her death already, "Ah'm still here, Rems."

"I kno', jus' tinking. Dat be all." He replied. He was praying that Deadpool was faking it, trying to scare them into giving the hostages and Dr. Freeman off to the enemy. Anything kind of explanation for Deadpool's threat he would accept; anything except that it was true. He felt like he was there in Paris yet again. Choosing between the woman that he loved and protecting people he had sworn to protect, as thief before and as an X-men now. Whom should he save? Which person should he sacrifice? One thing did remain; he could never choose anything over Rogue. He would never let her fall.

Next Chapter: 24 Hours to Live

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