Hello and Welcome

I do not own the Xmen nor the song mentioned by Fleetwood Mack.

Music: At one point the song Dream by Fleetwood Mack is playing and pairs well with the flow of the scene so feel free to start the song when it comes in the episode.

Trigger Warnings: This episode discusses Human Trafficking and contains Violence

After years apart Gambit is called by Logan to rescue Rogue from an undercover mission in a mutant trafficking ring. She's not at all how he remembers her or her powers and finds that maybe she will be the one to rescue them all. Old flames reignite. Rated for extremely graphic content and lemon related content. You've been warned.

Remy will sometimes let out a few phrases in French. In this chapter are the following:

Oui Yes

mon ami my friend

Copains friends

Remy could see the intel that Jean had put into his mind as Rogue's personal memories through her eyes. Mentally Dream by Fleetwood Mack began to play through Rogue's mind; now his mind. He watched her planned abduction not go according to plan. Sensed the pain they had inflicted upon her before darkness and nothing. Remy felt the mental swirl come over him from the drugs she had been given to tame her; to make her more obedient. Then more memories came yet seen through a thick fog of intoxicants. Men talking around her and about her but in muffled words dampened by all she had been subdued with. He tried his best to make out what he could. Hoping for any small detail or clue. Words like 'nice ass' as well as 'decent tits' came through to his disgust. Remy fisted the bed sheets he was laying upon tightly seething as a hand reached out and began touching Rogue. She looked down as the hand made contact with her and shuttered as it traveled under her top and over her bare breast. Remy could see the soft glow of a power inhibitor collar coming off of her neck and wished for nothing more than it to be shut off and the man whose hands were still exploring Rogues flesh to be killed instantly.

The haze continued, speeding across his mind, for the days that Rogue was locked in what seemed to be a cell along with other women mostly and all wearing the same collars. All mutants.

It was sadly simple really. They were starved and pumped full of drugs to make them subservient so that when they were finally fed again and clear of mind they would be too weak and afraid to fight back. The ones who did, he noticed, were taken away and returned with their clothing ripped, bloodstained, and so drugged that their bodies would shake or stay unnervingly still. He was thankful that Rogue didn't fight back as though some part of her still remembered that it was her mission to be there; that she needed to stay despite the fear he sensed flowing within her mind. He watched as she slowly crawled through the darkness to another woman, a stranger to her, just as terrified as she, and held them with Rogue's bare flesh touching hers. It was something she had wanted for years but not like this.

He wondered how long it would last when out of nowhere it was lifted and she was sitting in a cold metal folding chair before a clean shaven man dressed in expensive business attire. "Let's see what her powers are so we know how much she's worth." His voice was crystal clear and easily understood but he snapped his fingers in front of her face as though she was still drugged and gave her a command. "Tell me and show me what you are capable of, sweetheart."

Remy watched still through Rogues eyes as she moved from her chair acting now as though she was still drugged. He was unsure how exactly she had healed herself but understood why she was choosing to hide that fact. "Ah absorb people's memories an' their powers if they are mutants." she spoke with a heavy slow drawl and blinked her eyes the same.

"Show me." The man instructed her and then snapped his fingers once more as another mutant woman who was dressed in a ripped sequin covered mini dress slowly made her way over to Rogue. He could tell that Rogue knew the woman who had her own inhibitor collar turned off revealing skin that seemed to glow golden from within. The woman that Rogue knew as Samantha reached a shaking heavily drugged hand towards her which Rogue took without hesitation dropping the young girl to the ground in the process. Additional memories flashed momentarially but without clarity as though when Rogue had passed this intel to Jean she had snipped parts away.

Remy then heard Rogue's voice clear and focused within his mind but the message was not for him. Jean Ah'll be messaging Logan next. Ah found ma friend but it's worse than Ah thought. There are so many of them. Ah'm sending you the full details. Spare the guys the hard shit please. Ah'm goin' back before they notice that Sam was also a telepath. The message ended abruptly and Remy knew that what she had sent to Jean was all he had seen thus far. He watched through Rogues eyes as she looked behind the men at her reflection in the dirty window and the night beyond. She looked different than Remy remembered her but assumed that the drastic changes were due to her being undercover. Her hair was short, black, and cropped to her head sticking out in odd directions from grease and being without a shower from so long in captivity. Slowly a soft golden hue began to creep across her flesh matching Samanthas. Rogue began to speak information that only Sam knew such as simple bank statements. Remy watched as the clean shaven man beamed at her and pressed a button on a small remote, restarting her collar once more and suppressing the newly developed glow.

"This one is going to make me a fortune." he beamed while grabbing her face and forcing his mouth upon hers then holding it back again and turning it for a further inspection "Keep her drugged and send her to the theater first." Before his anger could fully rise and he knew what was happening the swirl of fog returned and the memories shifted to another point in time.

Rogue, now clear of mind spoke mentally once more to Jean. Ah don' know how long Ah got before the collar is put back on. This is the address and the information of ma current location tonight. We get bounced around so much Ah think to stay hidden an' confused. Jean She paused while passing out drinks to men whose eyes wandered over her flesh which was now a deep shade of red with a bushy tail he could see swishing from the corner of Rogue's eye. Jean Ah can't find a safe way out. It's bigger than Ah thought Ah messaged Logan but Ah don't know when Ah will get to again. Jean Ah'm sorry.

One of the men's hands reached up as she was bending over and cupped her bare ass before snapping the black gstring she was wearing. Slowly and calmly she stood upright and moved his hand from her backside but continued to hold it; her long red fingers locking with his own. How is he not dying? Remy wondered with curiosity but also slight jealousy. "Touch ma more in the back room." She said in a sultry voice he had never heard Rogue use before. Remy was thankful that he did not have to see the back room however as the memories shifted again between haze and clarity with Remy catching Rogue's reflection in various surfaces of the different underground clubs she was being held in.

Each time her appearance was different from the many mutants she had been forced to pull from. Wings, fur, tails, horns. Sometimes though there were aspects he recognized: Angel's long white wings, Kurt's pointed ears, tail, and blue hue, and even once Sabertooths long shaggy brown hair and fur covering her entire body. He watched through a back mirrored wall once as Rogue danced upon a stage with men shouting vulgarity in her direction; her costume falling piece by piece to the stage at her feet. He wanted to look away, to give her privacy and the respect she deserves but he couldn't. These were not his eyes, not his memories, and he had as little control over the situation as Rogue did. He felt his pants tighten and hated himself for it. Not like dis he thought as the memory shifted once more to a dark hotel room where Rogue and another girl who looked around sixteen sat before an older man who had himself propped up on a bed. The young girl's eyes were that of an insect and he assumed that Rogue's were the same.

The man reached for the younger girl first attempting to remove her lace covered top; his mouth eager to engage in her own but Rogue spoke, stopping him. "No please can't Ah have fun first."

He looked over at her and flashed a sneer "Beg for it my little spider."

"Oh please" Rogue said crawling closer to the man and making Remy's stomach churn. "Take me." Remy could feel the man pull Rogue's head back by what was now long silver hair before he thrust his lips upon hers and immediately collapsed before her. Quickly because her life did depend on it she looked to the other girl who Remy could tell was drugged into submission. "Listen to me carefully" Rogue placed her bare hand over the girl's mouth to stop her from screaming as to Remy's confusion instead of absorbing her the fog over the young girl's eyes cleared with her touch. "If ya scream they will come in here an' right now they think this dick is having the time of his life. Do you understand ma?" The girl nodded as Rogue lowered her hand and pulled her into her arms allowing for her to sob but only momentarily. "I'm with the Xmen and we are going to get you out of this."

"How?" the young girl asked, her voice shaking.

"Let me worry about that sugar. Now the boss will be here soon so Ah have to put you back under and sadly you will forget for now we had this talk too." The girl began to tremble and attempted to open her mouth to protest but it was too late with Rogue's hands still on her from holding her the haze covered her eyes once again. He could hear Rogue thinking about wishing there was another way but knowing that her cover needed to remain intact and that it was best the girl did not remember her days here as much as she could. Her head turned slowly in a rehearsed way that made it seem like she was just as subdued as her companion just as the lock on the door clicked open to the room and the man from the beginning entered. Remy listened as Rogue gave him the man's bank information as well as material suitable for blackmail. The fog began to roll through again but this time returning him to the real world. The last thing from Rogue coming through was the message mentally sent to Jean but the words felt like they were being spoken to him directly instead Please find ma.

Remy sat up on the edge of the bed as he lit a cigarette collecting himself. He stood and walked over to the small table he had placed his bags on and the folder with the physical information that had been collected. He read through every document not bothering to look up as a student he did not recognize entered with a tray of food and left just as quietly. He ate in silence while continuing to read and reread all the while trying to keep his mind off of the images that he knew would plague him for years to come. By the time the sun outside was starting to set once more he was done showering and started dressing in an all black armani suit. Remy pulled his shoulder length chestnut hair into a neat bun and grabbed the keys to the maserati he would be driving to play his part. He looked himself over one last time in the full length mirror wishing that he was looking this sharp for other reasons.

"Do you need any cover documents?" Forge asked while finishing the last touches to a camera that Remy could not even see existed on the tip of his finger.

"No Remy tinks da best cover is da truth an' already bein' a member of da Thieves' Guild gives me an advantage." Evan placed the camera on his suit jacket before turning to his computer to run more diagnostics. They would need to collect all the evidence they could to give to the FBI later on.

He turned to Beast who began to hand him large rolls of cash which to Remy's eye looked and felt real. "A new chemical I have been experimenting with. A good friend within the Bureau provided me with the counterfeit currency that I added a small component to that will dissolve the bills within one months time so I am afraid to say that is all you will have."

"Let's hope it don' take dat long mon ami." he said as he stuffed the rolls into an inner pocket of his new black trench coat. "Anyting else copains?"

Charles rolled over and handed him a gold credit card which surprisingly had Remy Lebeau embossed on it. "I trust that every cent will be used to free these children." Remy flashed a crooked smile and left the briefing room thinking only of Rogue.

Two states over Rogue in a navy blue corset, matching lace thong, and thigh high lace up heeled boots served drinks around a new crowded underground club. She had just arrived, shipped in the night before, and had no idea just how close to home she currently was. The day was lost to her along with her location. She could not remember how long she had been undercover anymore. From the back of her thong shot out a prehensile tail in the same shade of blue courtesy of Nightcrawler years prior. All around her, mutant women in various states of undress and levels of opioids occupied the interests of the clientels. Mentally she thought of nothing but her drink order trying to keep herself as docile as her peers despite the unknown difference of her sobriety and clarity.

"Whiskey sour your honor." she said with a wink as she served the judge who slapped her ass for the third time that night with her departure. It was tempting to think of cutting his hand off but she knew better. With a blank expression she returned to the back of the bar and placed the empty tray down using her tail before starting to make her next order of drinks.

"Any usable blackmail on the judge yet?" The owner Jackson said in a hushed voice without raising his eyes to meet her own. He did not like looking at the women if he could help it. He knew that they were just as trapped, as used as him and his club were, but he felt like he was their oppressor just the same.

Rogue had looked into his mind upon their first encounter. He was a good man who had opened a nightclub a year ago but had fallen behind on his payments and decided to borrow money from the wrong people. When they had come to him a month ago with an offer to clear out his debt he agreed until he saw the first truckload of women arrive. Jackson had tried to take back his offer but was met with powers used on him from the women he had tried to free moments prior. He had no idea how deep their control went and found out the hard way when he was almost killed after attempting to be their white knight. It was then that Jackson met the boss. He was told in great detail about his mother's nursing home and his sister in the next county who had a lovely son about to start middle school. He got the idea and stopped fighting after that. His club then turned into something he never imagined in his worst nightmares and was overseen by a new staff who would not even acknowledge him. He decided to hide behind the bar after that and make himself useful in a situation he had no use in being in.

"Nothing yet but by the next drink he will ask for a private dance and then Ah will have all the boss needs." Jackson didn't know how the blue woman knew this and he didn't want to. He nodded his head and filled her tray with the next round of drinks silently. She wanted to say something to Jackson to calm him; to let him know he wasn't the only one fighting but stopped when she felt her heart begin to pound uncontrollably with his next words.

"When you finish with him the boss called about a new club owner arriving to take inventory." he spoke close to her so nearby customers would not hear but he was unable to hide his disgust . She could feel the heat from his words as he spoke into her pointed blue ear what made her heart attempt to leap from her tightly laced chest. "Be on the lookout for an expensive dressed mutant with red on black eyes and a Cajuin accent."

Rogue nodded her head and tried to keep her composure as she turned and left Jackson's side. She hoped that she had remained just as unresponsive and still as before. Thankfully Jackson was still mentally thinking only of his own situation giving her all the time she needed to return to work and begin to eagerly wait.

Thanks for reading review if you'd like. More to come soon.