AN::laughs evilly: Ah many of you asked about the time line and part of my trick is that I decided not to reveal it until the characters reveal what has been happening to them during the time apart. I will tell you that they are now Rogue is 17 and Remy is 19. Don't worry too much all will fall together about the past 4 years. I just wanted to keep you guys guessing.

AN2: I SOOO sorry this has taken as long as it has. Most of you have been insanely patient and understanding and for that I am very grateful. The full long description of why this has taken so long is more detailed then anyone really needs but needless to say most of the delays were unavoidable and at no time did I forget about this it just wasn't able to be a priority.

AN3: On a completely different issue. I have never written a real action scene before. Please tell me what you think and if I should avoid them in the future. I really enjoy all of your input. And seeing as how has seen fit to make my normal review responses frowned upon I have come up with my own temporary solution. If you will follow the lovely little link to my profile you will see a response to anyone who reviewed the last chapter all 20 something of you which makes me feel loved and horrible for not updating more quickly. I really appreciate that you take the time to do it and I hope that having to go to my profile is not too much of an inconvenience.

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Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

Rogue, Jubilee and Kitty's bedroom

July 4

11:21 am

"Wogue, bwing me somemoe tissues, pwease?" issues forth from the lump located on Jubilee's bed.

"Give meh a minute Jubes, we're out in here so Ah gotta go ask next door." comes Rogue's reply from where she is laying across the room paging through a fashion magazine. Stifling a laugh she gets up and makes her way to the door.

Returning a few minutes later she tosses the box of tissues at the lump normally known as Jubilee. Feeling the impact Jubilee throws back the covers that have been over her head revealing her red nose and untidy hair. Her hand searches for the box pulling it close to her. She proceeds to take out a small number and noisily blow her nose. Again Rogue is forced to stifle a laugh at her roommates expense.

The trashcan located next to Jubilee's bed is already overflowing with balled up tissues that have start to spill over on to the floor. Jubilee leans over the side of the bed and takes notice of this. She then puts on her most pitiful expression and turns to look at Rogue once more. "Can you bwing me an empty trashcan too?"

"No way ya gettin' mine. Let meh check ta see if there is space in Kitty's." Rogue then goes off in search of their third roommates trashcan.

She is looking under Kitty's desk when there is a knock at the door. Jumping at the sudden noise Rogue hits her head on the desk. Once she has reached a standing position she rubs her head slightly as she makes her way over to the door. Opening it she is prepared to give the offending a piece of her mind but stops short when she sees that it is Bobby Drake. Blushing slightly she quickly drops her hand down from her head. "Hey Bobby, what's up?"

Bobby gives a small smile as he looks at her and then realizing that he has been staring rushes as he begins to speak, "I came to see how Jubilee was doing. Can I come in?"

Rogue gives a small nod and then after a moments hesitation steps aside letting Bobby enter the bedroom. He walks in slowly taking his time as he passes Rogue before going over to Jubilee's bed. Carefully standing outside of arm reach he puts on his best concerned friend face, "Hey Jubilee, how are you doing?"

She looks up at him with a glare that would have killed a lesser man. "Like you cawe its you' fault I'm sick. If you hadn't fwozen both the doow and the pipes while I was taking a showew I wouldn't have this cold. You only came hewe to fliwt with Wogue. Don't think I'm gonna fowget that you are the weason I'm missing the fiwewowks tonight." Having finished her tirade Jubilee throws a pillow at Bobby. "Now go fliwt with her alweady and leave me alone."

Behind Bobby Rogue is sitting on her bed with her face buried in a pillow to hide both her intense blush and the laughter escaping her. Bobby attempts to look taken aback at Jubilee's instruction but can't help but blush himself. "But Jubilee I really wanted to see how you were I didn't mean for you to be sick. It was just a little joke."

With a loud hrumf Jubilee rolls over and pulls the blanket back over her head determined to ignore Bobby's existence. Seeing her as a lost cause Bobby moves over to sit on the foot of Rogue's bed.

After a moment Rogue brings her face out from behind the pillow and looks at him. She smiles shyly at him still holding the pillow to her chest. In return her gives her a big smile and moves slightly closer to her. "So are you looking forward to the trip tonight?" asks Bobby.

"Oh Ah don't think Ah'm gonna go. Ah'ld feels bad leavin' Jubilee here all by herself."

Bobby can't help but have his smile falter at this. "You should come. Storm will be staying to look after her and she wont be missing out because she doesn't like big crowds. It will be fun. It isn't often that we get to go out as a group just for fun. There is going to be a carnival and everything."

Seeing the look of disappointment on Bobby's face Rogue bites her lip and plays with the hem of her long sleeved shirt. "Ah'm sorry Bobby but Ah already promised Jubes that Ah would stay and that we would watch the fireworks from the roof so that she could at least seems them." She hesitates for a moment before adding in a whisper "Ya could always stay with us ya know."

She has spoken so quietly that Bobby was unable to make it out. Looking at her confused she realizes she will have to repeat herself. "Ah said that ya could always stay behind with us. Kitty said she was gonna stay too and maybe Piotr. It might be fun. Not as much fun as the carnival but still it might be cool. Ya know if ya wanted ta give up all that other stuff."

The disappointment instantly disappears from Bobby's face changing into a broad smile. "I'd like that. I'll go tell the Professor that I'd like to stay behind." He gets up from the bed and head out the door shutting it behind him.

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Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters

Rec Room

July 4

5:33 pm

Allison sits by herself the TV blaring loudly as she flips through the channels with a look of mild boredom on her face. She pauses on a VH1 and the most recent awesomely bad countdown before changing channels in disgust. She sighs loudly in exasperation. Suddenly the constant clicking is interrupted by an equally annoying ringing issuing from her pants. Quickly she pulls out her cellphone and glancing briefly at the caller ID turns up the volume even further on the television.

She flips open the phone and puts it to her ear. "She's staying behind as you expected."

Her face remains emotionless as she listens to the callers reply and question.

"Looking after one of the students who has a cold. There are five maybe six students staying at the mansion for various reasons but none of them should pose much of a problem. There is also one teacher staying behind."

Again she pauses this time she looks around quickly making sure that the room is still empty and that none of the other inhabitants of the mansion have made their way downstairs as she listens to the questions.

"The sick girl can shoot fireworks out of her hands but has been instructed not to because she is sick. One of the girls can phase through walls but has no real offensive skills. The teacher can control the weather. There are two guys one who can create ice and another who can manipulate flames."

Subconsciously, her hand moves to finger the black velvet chocker at her neck and the small image attached to it. After a long communication from the other end of the phone line she answers another round of questions. "The one I'm not sure about is a boy who can turn his skin into some sort of armor. I didn't seem him leave with the others and he spends a lot of time with the girl who phases. Xavier is in DC at some sort of state function accompanied by Jean Grey. They don't plan on returning for three or four more days."

Listening to a round of instructions she repeatedly gives affirmative grunts finally she finishes with, "I'll have the defense system turned off by 8 just make sure you are here and done by 10 that is when the rest of the mansion will get back."

She clicks closed her phone hanging up and then goes back to flipping through the channels as if the entire conversation had never happened.

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Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters

Kitchen

July 4

7:45pm

Rogue pushes open the door leading in from the main hallway holding it open for Kitty as she walks in behind her. Once both girls have entered the room she lets the door swing back shut. Rogue makes her way over to the cabinets and starts going through them searching for popcorn. Kitty hops up on the counter and stares at her friend expectantly. When Rogue makes no indication that she is going to start talking anytime soon Kitty asks "So Bobby stayed behind to be with you. Like how cool is that?"

For the second time today Rogue hits her head this time on the top of the cabinet as she tries to pull her head out to look at Kitty. "Oww." She pauses pulling herself the rest of the way out of the cabinet and looking her friend while rubbing her once again sore head. All the while a faint blush is coming to her cheeks. "Ah guess its pretty cool. Ah mean its not like anything could happen between us what with mah powers and all." Rogue goes to turn back to the cabinet but Kitty's next question stops her. "Just cause you can't touch doesn't mean you can't have a boyfriend you know."

Immediately Rogue turns back to Kitty popcorn forgotten. "What are ya talkin' about Kitty. Bobby and I are just friends. Nothin' more."

Kitty gives Rogue a knowing look and a small smile "Sure nothing right now but do you really think he would give up going to the carnival if he didn't think of you as more then a friend. I mean seriously. A chance to go out and blend in with the rest of the world at large and just have fun like the teens we are? If I didn't feel so bad for Jubilee I would be there in a heart beat."

"Ya really think he likes meh like that? Ah mean seriously this is meh we are talkin' about." Asks Rogue with an even stronger blush coming to her cheeks.

"Like totally. He looks at you the same way Piotr looks at me and he did just ask me out last week. So hurry up already we better get that popcorn before Jubilee figures out that we have been having girl talk without her."

Rogue gives a grin before replying "Yea' she would kill us fo' doin' that." She then turns back to the cabinet to resume her search.

She is once again interrupted when a large crash is heard from upstairs. Pulling her head out of the cabinet once again she looks at Kitty questioningly who simply shrugs in return. However this confusion is short lived as Rogue's eyes go big as she catches sight of a woman with long white blond hair dressed in a skin tight unitard which is a wash of swirls. Before the woman can even move instinct takes over and Rogue dives for the protection of the island Kitty is sitting on grabbing for Kitty's ankle. However, seeing her friend's wild dive Kitty instinctively phases her body down through the island. She appears again next to Rogue as they huddle against the island looking at one another.

Before they can speak a wave of dizziness comes over them. Fighting back nausea Rogue leans over and whispers into Kitty's ear "Go find Ms. Monroe. Now."

Kitty simply nods her head and phases down into the floor as quickly as possible.

Ok Rogue you can handle this. Remember all those things Remy taught you back home. No no no don't start thinking about Remy just remember all the moves he showed you. Now he always told you to assess the situation before acting. Obviously this girl is a mutant with the very useful power of making you incredibly dizzy. But you can work around that. All you have to do is hold out until the others can come to help you don't actually have to take her out. And really all that requires is that you get close enough to touch her. That isn't so bad now is it? Ok so what is in these cabinets. We've got a whole bunch of food but that wont help really. You are just going to have to try and attack her make her loose her focus. Most people don't have a curse like yours where their power is permanently active.

Slowly Rogue uncurls herself and with a firm grip on the cabinets pulls herself up to glance over and see if her attacker has moved. This small action brings on many more waves of nausea but confirms that the woman is waiting for something. Seeing this Rogue allows herself to return to ball on the floor momentarily.

Where the hell is Kitty and what exactly is that woman waiting for. Why on earth is she here anyways. Doesn't matter just going to have to try and do what I can.

Rogue once again uncurls however this time she stays close to the floor. Slowly she opens one of the cabinets and grabs the first thing she lays a hand on which happens to be a large can of soup. Taking this she creeps along the island until she has reached the corner closest to the last place she saw her assailant. Once she reaches the corner she stops resting for a moment trying to calm her shifting vision and distressed stomach. Having spend as much time as she feels she can afford Rogue takes the soup and as forcefully as possible tosses it across the length of the island so that it will crash into the open cabinet door and then roll across the floor.

As soon as the soup hits the floor she lunges around the corner towards her target. In a flying leap she tackles the woman knocking them both to the floor. However once there Rogue is overcome with nausea to the point that she cannot contain it. She looses focus as she begins to empty her stomach of its contents on to the kitchen floor. The woman uses this moment of weakness to her advantage by rolling away from Rogue and kicking her in the back. This knocks Rogue to the floor since her arms were barely holding her off of it to start with. Quickly Rogue rolls over and attempts to stand and defend herself.

This attempt fails miserably and she makes it only to her knees before being overcome by the ever present dizziness. She falls back to her hands and knees closing her eyes. Once again this presents and opening to her attacker who uses her advantage to land repeated kicks against Rogue's abdomen.

Rogue is flipped onto her back as the woman comes to stand over her looking down at her. She finally speaks her voice filled with condescension as she looks down at her defeated prey "I don't see why you are worth so much trouble. Didn't even manage a decent fight. Truthfully I'm disappointed."

This has been spoken to soon for no sooner has she finished her speech does Rogue use her legs to throw the woman into the island above Rogue's head. The force of the blow is enough to knock her unconscious. As she falls to the floor lifeless the endless waves of nausea stop for Rogue.

Still considerably weakened she lays on her back breathing deeply for a few moments. Having calmed her stomach considerably she slowly makes her way into a standing position. Leaning heavily against the cabinet she pauses again for a few moments breathing slowly. Feeling that she has regained as much strength as she can afford she makes her way over to the door.

Listening for a moment to make sure there is no one immediately outside she slowly pushes the door open just enough to slip through and makes her way out into the hall. Her breathe catches in her throat as she sees Kitty limp at the foot of the stairs. Forgetting everything else she rushes to her friend kneeling down checking for a pulse. A noise above her catches her attention and she looks up to see a man in the process of throwing a long metal object at her.

She is unable to dodge this attack and feels it pierce her shoulder. She looks at the wound as her body collapses to floor next to Kitty's.

Odd, I can't even feel where that thing pierced me. Oh shit. I can't move. I can't even blink this is bad... hmmm I'm sleepy. Rogue you have to stay awake. Come on girl. But I'm so sleepy. Look at all the pretty stars. I just need to rest for a minute.

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AN: Ok guys I have another mission for you does anyone know a story where Remy works at a Denny's and Rogue runs away and ends up going to stay with him in his apartment after he finds her sleeping in someone's car. I don't even know how I found this the first time but I can't find it now so I would appreciate the help. Thanks guys.

AN2: I really hope you guys liked this and aren't too disappointed having waited so long for an update. Love you guys.

Oh yeah and a Happy New Year to everyone. Hope things go well for everyone you care about.