Truck stop after struck stop, cold, snowy day after cold snowy day, she sat at a bar drinking water while a cage fight was going on. She pulled her coat further around her.

"Ok, just plant your feet on the end of the board." Louisa said. They were both standing on the diving boards at the pool. Marie stared at the water untrustingly, but she planet her feet. "Bend your knees." She didn't like this. "Arms over your head."

"Ah look ridiculous."

"And spring off." Louisa made it look so easy.

Marie sighed and launched herself off. She pulled off a spectacular back flop. She came up spluttering. "Not bad, Sassafras." She looked up and saw James standing there with a towel around his neck. He helped her out of the pool. "Time to go, girls." He said leaning down and picking his sister up under the arms pulling her out of the pool. "Go get changed."

James met the girls outside pulling up his truck. They got in and stared home. He took out a cigarette and looked around for his lighter. "Damn, where'd it go?"

"It's under your feet, I'll get it." Louisa said getting down in front of the seat as a police car turned on it's light's behind them. James waited until she got back in her seat before pulling over. He reached into his pocket for his license.

"Marie, get the registration from the glove box." He told her.

"Sir, get out of the car."

"What?" James asked turning to the young police officer standing outside his door.

"I said get out of the car." He drew his gun.

James got out as the other one opened the other door pulling the girls out the other side. "Damn, Hoss, what the hell?" He looked over towards the girls. "Hey, keep yer damn hands off of her!" He warned the policeman holding onto Louisa's arm.

He was read his rights and handcuffed. The policeman took the girls off to the side. "Do your parents know you're taking rides from older men?"

"Uh…yeah…" Louisa said.

"And they don't care?"

"Why would they?"

"What did he ask you to do?"

"He asked me to get the registration out of the glove box." Marie said shrugging.

"Why were you out of sigh, miss?" He asked Louisa.

"James dropped his lighter." She said holding it up.

"Is that what he told you his name was?"

"Hey, look, you idiot with a gun," Louisa growled. "His name is James Ford and he's ma brother, so don't even give me that shit! You'd better hope you have even one shred of evidence against him, cuz, if not, I'm gonna bury you alive!"

"Are you threatenin' me?" He asked incredulously.

"You threatened him!" Louisa said pointing towards James.

"Louisa!" Marie tried to get her to shut up.

"No! They pulled us over, took him from the truck at gunpoint, and they expect me to be all complacent?" She looked at the officer. "Go to hell!"

"I've never arrested a kid before," He warned her, "But so help me…"

"Ah can't believe ya jumped a cop!" Marie said her head in her hands, glancing at her friend in handcuffs.

Louisa shrugged. "He hit James."

"Where's my son and daughter?"

Marie and Louisa looked up to see Ellie, mad as hell, sauntering in. "Ma'am, you can't just barge in her making demands." One officer told her.

"Someone just arrested my son, unlawfully, believing him to be a pedophile, and you're tellin' me what my rights are?"

Ellie Isaacs was a force you didn't want to reckon with. She was there ten minutes before all charges were dropped and James, Louisa, and Marie were free to go.

Rogue smiled at the memory. God, they had had a laugh over that…a few weeks later. She got up and went to the phone positioned at the end of the bar against the wall. She was halfway through dialing when there was a disturbance. She turned around in time to see a man shoot claws out of his knuckles and slash a shotgun being held by the bartender, into little pieces.

The man left and Rogue followed him, hoping he might help her since he was a mutant as well. She slipped under a tarp covering his trailer hauled by a truck. One way to catch a ride even if he didn't help her.