Confusion. Flashes of a struggle with a dark haired woman. No! A blonde woman! Let me go! She's so strong! A feeling of weakness. What's happening! I feel so weak. Who am I? Let go! Let Go! LET GO!

Rogue sat bolt upright, the scream ripping raggedly from her throat. Confusing flashes of memories that weren't her own assailed her barely conscious mind. She clapped her hands to sides of her head and curled up into a ball. The welter of memories and images flipped chaotically through her mind with a disturbing and terrifying sense of being both perfectly right and horribly wrong.

She shuddered and moaned as consciousness slowly and jarringly began to drag her out of her terrified confusion. Dimly, she was aware of someone touching her and voices that were coming from outside of her head.

Desperate for an escape from her mental torment, her wakening mind grasped eagerly at the solidity of the hand on her shoulder. Struggling against the weight of Rogue's…no, Carol Danvers' presence in her mind, she fought her way to full consciousness.

Gradually the voices became intelligible and she could understand what was going on.

"..the hell were you thinking, Bella? She could have been killed!" That Voice! It was so familiar! She grasped onto that thought and strained to hear more.

"We didn't know she'd be there, Remy!" She recognized that voice as well, but there was something more. She felt anger at this voice.

"That's no excuse! You should have run. You had no business putting Marie in danger like that."

"Marie," the second, a female voice said snidely. "You're so worried about poor little Marie, when you should be more worried about the rest of us! That "Ms. Marvel" could have killed all of us, and you're only worried about this stranger!"

"No one would have gotten hurt if you hadn't tried to ambush me there!" Carol snarled through Rogue's lips.

Rogue opened her eyes and stood slowly, carefully. A good-looking man moved in front of her and peered concernedly into her eyes. "Marie, are you alright?"

She squinted at him, recognition dawning on her slowly. "Remy," She breathed.

Relief flooded his features and he smiled his cocky smile for her. "Had a rough day, Cher?"

She shook her head, struggling to make sense of the bizarrely stereoscopic memories of the day. She glanced up and saw the woman who owned the second familiar voice.

Belladonna was glaring at her with undisguised hatred and…fear? Danvers smirked at her and before Rogue knew what was happening, she had brushed Remy aside and lifted Belladonna off the floor by the front of her jacket.

"You obnoxious little bitch," She spat through Rogue's teeth. "You set this up to get rid of one of the both of us, didn't you? Regardless of which one of us won, you'd be rid of a rival or an enemy. Didn't count on both of us surviving, did you?" She smirked as she slammed Belladonna against the wall.

Gambit shook his head and struggled to get back to his feet. "Marie, how did you…" He stammered as he rose to his feet.

"Remy!" Belladonna cried. "Remy save me! She's going to kill me!"

He stood, transfixed, starting at the two women he cared most about in the world. He was appalled at the sudden strength Marie was showing, and bewildered by what she was saying.

Danvers smiled grimly at her adversary. "No, child. We're not going to kill you. But we are going to hurt you." She growled with grim satisfaction.

Remy stared at her anxiously. "Now Cher," He said holding his hands up and inching closer to her. "No need to be hasty…I'm sure this has all been one big misunderstanding."

She turned her gaze upon Remy and smirked. "Your friend here isn't as sweet and innocent as you think she is." She purred. "Turns out she's quite the little schemer."

Belladonna struggled to free herself from Rogue's iron grip. "Don't listen to her Remy! She's crazy! Help me!"

"Marie, please…" He began.

"She believes that you belong to her, you know," Rogue said breaking through Danvers' control. "In her mind you're as good as married. The wedding is a foregone conclusion, and no more than a formality."

Belladonna face froze into a wide-eyed expression of panic, and she began to scratch and claw at her rival's hands in a desperate attempt to escape her iron grip. "Shut up! Remy, she's just trying to turn you against me! Don't listen!"

"Wedding…" Gambit muttered. "We're not getting married." He laid a gently restraining hand on Rogue's shoulder. "You're mistaken, Cher. Me and Bella…we're like family."

He glanced up at his dearest friend for confirmation. He was surprised to find an expression of horrified disbelief on his Bella's face.

Her voice was a strangled hiss. "Family?" She gasped. "How can you say that Remy? We were matched when we were children!"

He snorted and barked out a short laugh of amusement. "That ridiculous compact, Bella? You can't be serious!" His smile slowly drained from his face when he saw the stricken look in her eyes.

"Bella, you thought…but we've never…" He stared at her in consternation. He turned to Rogue and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Please cher, let her down."

Rogue releases Belladonna, and leaves, furious. Gambit catches up with her as she's packing her things to leave. He tells her that Danvers' body is in a coma. She takes her stuff and tells him that she's going back to the mansion. He tries to get her to stay, but she flies off shakily. She visits Danvers' body and vows to find a way to get carol back into her own body.

She has a fleeting thought of her parents, and Danvers convinces her to head home, since she's so close anyway. When Rogue arrives, it's late, and as her parents are greeting her, someone throws Molotov cocktails at the house. They are rushed by a bunch of thugs in black clothes, and Marie/Danvers fights them all off. She calls the school to report the attack and ask for some local mutant contacts. She leaves her family in the care of the local police department and heads back to the mansion with what little information she has been able to gather.