I'm surprised nobody guessed at the significance of the card. I was worried I made it too obvious, but apparently not, which is good. (It's hard as the writer to sometimes be clear enough, because you already know what everything means.) But hint, there were at least two things wrong about the card.

And now, the action really kicks up a notch!

Song this chapter features our girl Mariah Carey, Long Ago.

o

Thanks to my reviewers! Randirogue (I'm so honored), CaraM (I agree, I think that was best line!), allyg1990, Wanda W (I really building up grudging comradeship between Wolvy and Remy), Seren McGowan, Doesn't Matter, ChamberlinofMusic, Sassyx22x, ShadowFax999 (you nailed it!), Chica De Los Ojos Café (yeah Scott's getting there – and the cat and mouse game is about to step up a notch), Lizzieturbo, ishandahalf, and roguerulez.

My absolute favorite quote, from Lizzieturbo: "Too many writers have Rogue as the Idiot, who apparently falls for his physique and totally does not get who Remy is as a person, leaving her curled up on her bed biting her fingernails and whining "Like, why won't he tell me he loves me already? I'm, like, totally confused!"" LOL! The mental image!

o

Once upon a time

You whispered softly in my ear

Loving words and fairytales

That I longed to hear

-I gave you my body and soul

And you took control

As you slowly swept me up

And carried me away

Carried Away

o

o

"Let him go."

She wasn't going to follow him this time.

There was no rhyme or reason this time, no place to even start – and she couldn't even fathom stomaching the excuses his psyche might give.

Excuses for the promise – "my word"– he broke.

She closed her eyes, leaning on the clothing rack she was supposed to be perusing.

Despite what anyone else might argue, she'd known what she was getting into. She knew Remy – or at least knew him enough. All he'd had was casual, short-term relationships. Oh he wanted her sure, but when the novelty wore off? When he started to get restless? When the sacrifices, the lifestyle demands of a relationship became a bit too much? (At the very least, she thought she had more time…)

She knew what he did. He ran – ran from the strings that bound him, 'til they ensnared him again.

Rogue didn't want to be a set of bindings on him. He didn't love her and she didn't want to force him, but –

"De only femme je veux, c'est toi." (only woman I want is you)

For the first time, she was actually ready to believe him.

She opened her eyes and cursed herself as an idiot.

You told me pretty lies

As I held onto you tight

You knew how to get your way

The story piped some old love song and she wondered how long she would have to endure 'cheer Rogue up' events. Currently she was shopping with Kitty, Kurt and the wonder couple: Jean and Scott. Just thinking of them made her want to heave – now, of course, for far different reasons than when she'd been so moon-eyed over Scott.

In love. Engaged. A steady relationship.

"Damn you Gambit," she hissed under her breath, her chest hitching.

Every now and then

I drown in thoughts of yesterday

And the fools' paradise that you blew away

She didn't want to be cheered up. She wanted to crawl under her covers and bury herself from the world – except how can she when he's been there, cajoling her into stripping, flashing that grin of his, wrestling her until he's entangled her and their lips are all she can think about –

All she wanted was not to have to deal with the world for one day and not freaking think about him – in flash fury she whipped through the shopping rack, freezing when she came across a red shirt that she knew would match the shade of his eyes at the moment of an honest laugh.

Shadows of you keep washing over me

"Rogue? You find something?" Kitty's voice broke her reverie and she shoved the shirt back.

"No," she said, not daring to look at her roommate.

Damn him…

Long ago

You used to want me

Now it's all so far away

But you still haunt me

And take me back to yesterday

o

Kurt lounged by the front of the store. Kitty had given him a 'scat' motion, meaning she was probably going to try to pin down his sister for some girl talk. He didn't envy her in the least; Rogue had been a walking storm cloud for the past two days – ever since Gambit had disappeared and Rogue had told them to let him go.

Kurt couldn't be much help overall. He crossed his arms, a frown coming to rest on his face. He hadn't liked Remy in the first place, the slick jerk. He'd known it was just a matter of time before the player broke her heart – but Rogue didn't want to hear that.

The worst part was that Rogue had once again cancelled her practices, covering herself from head to toe. Despite his personal feelings towards Gambit, the man had played a considerable role in making Rogue more comfortable with touching. Kurt refused to think about how that had come to pass, but it did make it harder to ungrudgingly hate the guy.

Restless, he looked around from Jean and Scott. Scott had insisted in joining the shopping expedition and Jean had said she needed to look over some inventory for the bridal registry. In Kurt's opinion though, she'd looked more ready for an argument than bridal plans.

And sure enough, making his way to the registry booth, he found them huddled in conversation. Jean had her arms crossed and Scott looked as tense as a high wire act. Unable to resist (Kitty had to be rubbing off on him), he tiptoed to the nearest booth to them. Porting would be too obvious – not they looked aware of their surroundings.

"-need to know Scott," Jean was saying, trying to stay quiet. "I think I have a right."

"Of course I'm not jealous!" He craned his neck to try to get a side-view.

"Well you've been acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend ever since you found out about Rogue and Remy." Kurt was surprised to hear a note of insecurity in her voice – the girl his sister had nicknamed Ms. Perfect.

"He's not a good guy Jean. Even if he did leave because he was forced," What? That was news to Kurt, "Anyone could see that – and I didn't want to see her hurt."

"It's her decision Scott, not yours-" Kurt gritted his teeth. He hated that argument; he'd been on the receiving end of it from Kitty (and Amanda irritatingly enough) at least four times already.

"Look, I was the first to be there for her, okay?" Scott's aggression lessened. "I got to know her and she's been hurt so many times, I just wish I could protect her. I don't feel like-"

"-you want to take Remy's place?" Jean finished dryly, but she seemed calmer.

"No! Wait," Scott's forehead creased in thought, "okay I'm not sure how the grammar works, but I don't want to be her boyfriend or anything."

"You just didn't want him to be it."

"Yes." A sentiment Kurt heartily agreed with.

"Oh Scott-" But a movement had caught Jean's eye and Kurt blinked at the sight of a certain all-too familiar Gothic girl stalking out of the department store, unto the street. One glance at her tensed jaw told him all he needed to know about how the 'girl chat' had gone with Kitty.

He took a step forward, forgetting his surveillance, but it was already too late.

Rogue never stood a chance. The massive hand shot down from the sky and grabbed her up like a rag doll. Fearlessly, Rogue twisted in her prison, the metal belatedly taking on a fiery hue. The Sentinel simply snapped her back, sending her head flying. The glowing dissipated and she lolled in the hand, unconscious.

"Rogue, target acquired," boomed a robotic voice.

Scott swore, rushing out with Jean at his side, his hand going to his communicator. "Emergency at the strip mall – there's a Sentinel!"

Kurt immediately turned to look for Kitty. He wouldn't be able to port Rogue out, not without Kitty managing to slip Rogue from the Sentinel's grip. He ported back, calling her name.

Behind him, he heard the tell-tale roar of the impact of Scott's lasers. Scott never went anywhere without his visor thankfully – and with Jean at his side, they were a very powerful tag-team. He froze for a second, even as he finally spotted Kitty running through clothes racks on her way to the door. Perhaps Jean could open the hand?

He ported to Kitty, just in time to hear the Sentinel speak again.

"Scott Summers; Jean Grey; targets spotted."

Targets? There was no time to consider it. He and Kitty were gone in a flash of smoke and arrived at the battlefield.

"Scott, get out of here!" Jean was holding off a green gel that Kurt knew from video and Scott gave a reluctant nod. Between the shield and the gel, he needed a better position to get to the Sentinel, which still looked way too unscathed.

Kurt tried to pinpoint where he wanted to land. When he was just teleporting himself, it didn't matter. He could easily adjust or even teleport again to be in the right position. But he knew no one else was that comfortable porting – and Kitty had to be in a good place to phase Rogue.

Kitty gripped his arm hard, her eyes as well fixed on Rogue's limp figure.

He bamfed and when they slid back into space, the air was full of smoke, thick and noxious. Kurt couldn't see a thing. For a second, he thought they'd somehow managed to get caught between realities – but he felt the cold metal against his feet. It must've been a smoke bomb.

Kitty cried out and blindly, he reached for her, just barely in time to stop her from falling off the giant's arm, his tail wrapping around the arm for extra balance. The arm lurched and Kurt heard the whirl of gears as metal walls seemed to form out of thin air. The air began to clear and as he helped Kitty up, he saw that the Sentinel's chest had opened. Instead of lasers though, there were cages inside. His blood ran cold.

Another explosion – and when the smoke had cleared enough he saw the ground was scored and Jean now rested unconscious in a green blob.

"Jean!" Scott rushed over.

"Kitty, get Rogue!"

Pale, she nodded and stretched out to Rogue, leaving Kurt to grip her leg. The chest walls got nearer – and down below Kurt saw Scott press his hands against the gel. Kitty had a grip and was trying to pull Rogue all the way out from her precarious stance – the chest closed in – Kurt's eyes flicked down again and Scott's hands refused to come loose from the gel – a double blast of gel pounded in Kurt's ears and the next thing he knew Kitty and Rogue were covered, he tugged on Kitty's leg but his hand was already turning numb and Kitty stared blankly at Rogue without response. The chest walls closed in on them and Kurt had to port out.

He hit the ground hard, coughing up dust and feeling the crack of his disguise watch, followed by the fizzing of his illusion. The rumble of a motorcycle nearby shot his head up and he saw Wolverine jump off the bike with a grim look.

"Not this again," he groaned. He paused for only a second by Kurt, who just shook his head.

"I'm fine," he ignored the lancing pain up his leg, ripping through healing wounds that were still sore, "that thing has everyone else though."

Wolverine gave a sharp nod and raced for the Sentinel. He got to the feet and dug his claws in, beginning to climb. The robot looked down.

"Wolverine, target spotted."

The Sentinel's side boot rockets fired up and trying to hang on so close to the take-off, Wolverine never saw the green gel shot his way. The rockets turned off.

"Targets acquired."

Kurt fisted his hand as he watched the Sentinel grasp the last blob encasing Wolverine. Jets flared again from its feet and it took flight into the sky.

He could do nothing but watch helplessly, cursing his limitations.

o

"What on earth is a Sentinel doing on the loose?" Ororo muttered, rubbing her temples. "Trask is still in prison surely."

"That didn't stop the government from loosing Sentinels on Apocalypse," Xavier pointed out. "And that does not mean he could not have still made a deal with someone outside. Or release the blueprints for his invention."

"Oh yeah, I can just imagine," Bobby lifted his hands as if framing a store sign, "Mutant Haters'R'Us." They had all assembled for a briefing in Xavier's room. It was a strange sight considering who exactly was missing: Scott, strong and solid, Jean, calm and steady, Wolverine, gruff but always prepared, Kitty, bubbly but dedicated, Rogue, sarcastic yet determined, and Kurt (in the Infirmary resting his leg), playful and reassuring.

"Think they have a catalogue?" Ray joined in, his voice dropping low. "And this is fully loaded, encasement equipped flying capture machine ideally suited for X-Men catching."

"What, you think we would be their main focus?" Jaime asked innocently.

"With Magneto reformed?" Bobby countered. "Hell yeah!"

"I forgot how idiotic you all were," Lance snapped, his form nearly vibrating with anxiety. "Stop wasting time! Some maniac out there has Kitty!"

Bobby scowled at the insult from the Brotherhood member. "You're not even an X-Men-"

"Boys please," Xavier interrupted in his most patient voice, "we all have the same goal."

"-Not to mention you're not her boyfriend." Bobby added slyly. Both sets of eyes turned to Piotr, who stood to the side, strong and steady. Bobby for one thought Kitty had made a step up. At least this time she'd picked a bad guy who was actually reformed. Piotr's calm artistic temperament was way better than Lance's volatile temper. Lance's glower intensified.

"Do ve know who has taken them?"

Storm sighed, looking over at Xavier. "Kurt was quite positive that Kitty was not one of the main targets of the Sentinel. That means that someone out there was targeting Scott, Rogue, Jean and Wolverine."

"And there's only one current bad guy out there who would want those four and has the resources to use a Sentinel to do it," Tabby said for all of them.

Laura unsheathed her claws. "Sinister," she growled.

"I'm afraid I have some evidence to confirm that," Dr. McCoy said, appearing from the doorway with a tired look behind his glasses. "I noticed something strange about Rogue's blood when I took another sample a few days ago, to make sure the drugs were totally out of her system."

"And?" Xavier prompted.

"There was a mildly reactive isotope in her blood; most likely the hallucinogen was simply a diversionary tactic." Alarmed looks were exchanged.

"Reactive?" Lance asked for them all.

"Isotopes are often used for numerous medical procedures," the prompt glazing of eyes, which Hank had become all too-accustomed to in his high school classes, prompted him to cut off his explanation, "–it would only be detectable from a short distance."

"So the Sentinel could've tracked the radioactivity to find her," Xavier concluded.

"Then tracked down the others the hard way," Storm said meditatively. To go to so much trouble…

"The shopping trip must've been a freakin' three-for-one sale." Bobby couldn't resist.

"Can we stop with the shopping metaphor?"

"Can we track her as well?" Xavier ignored the by-play this time.

Hank shook his head. "It only works for very short distances, within a hundred yards. We'd have to know her basic location first."

"Didn't that Cajun guy have a list of places Essex could be?" Jubilee asked.

"Kurt mentioned that – but only Kitty had any contact information." Remy's omission, absence was almost palpably felt. "And Wolverine checked all the locations we knew of," Storm sighed.

"What about Cerebro?" Lance hated waiting. It made him jittery – and tended to do something a bit similar to his surroundings.

"No sign of them yet. I will keep watching."

o

"Ah and the lovely Rogue awakens."

Essex.

It had to be a nightmare, but the throbbing of her temples belied the truth. She tensed her muscles and felt straps press against the tension in her arms and legs. She opened her eyes to a nightmare she had actually had once before.

Strapped to Essex's lab table, with the 'good' doctor above her, smirking and flat red eyes sparking in the light.

She swallowed, but didn't say anything.

Essex's eyebrow rose. "What no questions? No quips? Ah," he flicked his finger in the air. "-but you've been in my mind, haven't you? You know exactly what I like to do." His gloved finger traced down her bared skin. She shuddered convulsively.

"I ain't that special," she said, dread rising up in her.

He grinned. "Don't be so modest absorber, you were highly recommended by Mystique."

Rogue froze. Essex just looked amused.

"She even volunteered to help in acquiring you-"

"Learning more tricks aren't you? We'll have to follow up on that."

Rogue closed her eyes, feeling like her stomach wanted to shuck its fleshy covering. She'd told herself that voice had been affected by the hallucinogen. It couldn't have been her…

Hadn't that manipulating bitch ruined enough of her life?

"She was very helpful." Essex was still speaking. "She believes you have unrealized potential that I could help with. And, well, you should know how I feel about exploring mutant potential."

She couldn't open her eyes.

"I have something special planned for you, absorber. I'll to perform some tests first, but yes, I have special plans for you and your friends."

"Friends?" she couldn't help the jerk.

"Oh yes, the lovely psychic Jean Grey and her power match mate Scott Summers. Amusing that powerful mutants tend to attract each other – like you and Mr. LeBeau. I was rather displeased he wasn't with you, but with time, I'm sure he'll appear. He never can resist a damsel in distress," Essex said dramatically, "Ah and to open up Wolverine, on a table to match his bones. Ah the thought makes me tingle."

God no.

She wished she could scream.

But when she opened her mouth, all she could hear was his mocking laugh.

o

"Have you been able to find them?" Ororo asked.

Xavier looked tired. "Only brief flashes of Rogue's powers, nobody else." He gave Ororo the slightest shake of his head to indicate truly nobody.

"But if you found Rogue, the others have to be there. Where are they?" Lance put his hands on the table and leaned forward challengingly. Lance was channeling his worry into aggression, Ororo reminded herself. Still, she felt a pang of longing for Scott, not that he'd be that much better in this situation.

"I've only gotten flashes," Xavier repeated. "I know the general region she's in, but I haven't been able to lock in on her specific location."

"Can we figure out what Essex owns around there?" Jubilee asked.

"And how would we do that?" Storm barely kept herself from snapping. At least six X-Men were missing, five were most likely under the knife of a scientist without any pesky morals, and time was ticking away.

"Katya knows her vay around computers very well," Piotr said with unmistakable regret.

"What?" Lance blinked.

The girls all looked at each other and nodded. "She's turning into a regular hacker," Tabby said.

"That's irrelevant," Storm said, making a mental note to have a talk with the girl when she returned. She turned back to Xavier, "A basic area should be enough to launch the X-Jet; you could give us a more definite location on the way."

Xavier agreed. "I will keep you updated."

Heading off any arguments before they could start, she picked her team. "Iceman, X-23, Boom-Boom, Magma, and Colossus suit up. Avalanche, I assume you would like to accompany us?" Lance shot a look at Kitty's new boyfriend.

"Of course."

o

In Kitty's room, her forgotten cell phone rang unanswered.

The voice mail picked up.

"'s Lapin. Jus' let you know haven't heard from Remy but well, Belladonna been 'round town afta ah trip lookin' like a cat dat got dah cream, hein? I t'ink somet'ings up – uh, jus' call me back when y' can, 'k Kitty?"

It went unheard.

o

o

The best plea I've come across from a reviewer wanting an update, from Lizzieturbo:

"It'll be... interesting... to see how I handle the wait time. I might have to take up yoga. Or bird-watching. Or something else to keep me 'zen', because it seems like a form of self-punishment to commit onesself to the hope of an emotional resolution based on the promise of a complete stranger who could decide at any time to up and walk away from this thing forever. So, you know, please don't do that. Please? See how I asked so humbly, so vulnerable, my emotional state resting in your (hopefully) merciful hands? Don't crush me. It'd be so cruel. In other words, keep writing! The pins and needles I'm sitting on are sharp, and I'm hoping to avoid any permanent damage."

LOL!