The safe house itself was a spacey loft that contained nothing but the bare essentials. The elevator required a five-digit code and the pass key to be entered before anyone was allowed access. Upon entering there was something that might have been a living room if anyone had cared to add more furniture, now it only contained a comfortable looking couch and something that could possibly pass as a television under the right circumstances. To the left was a kitchen which was complete with enough materials to feed two people for a week and a half. To the far right there was the bedroom.

That was where Rogue was asleep.

Darkness had settled in quickly and she hadn't had enough energy to fight for her freedom, and she hadn't been entirely sure she had wanted too. Being stuck in a safe house with Gambit had sounded more and more appealing

Remy sat in a corner, covered by shadow, his mood darkened by watching her struggle with demons in her dreams that he couldn't help fight off. He wouldn't admit what else was bothering him.

It had to do with the plan. If it hadn't been for his employer's stupid-

Non, He cut off his own thoughts. This is my fault, I will take the blame. I started this, and this is the only way to end it.

He leaned back in his seat, flicking the cards he always had on his person around in his fingers in the hopes of soothing his self-hatred. He was able to keep any guilt he felt about all of the things he had done at bay when there were things to do - robbing banks, stealing diamonds, kidnapping pretty girls- but right now, in the still of the night, when there was nothing for Remy LeBeau to steal, charm, or blow up, he felt it.

In his short life filled with sin he had learned two things.

One, there is always money to be had.

Two, Remy LeBeau is a bad, bad man.

He charged his shirt until it burned his skin and considered not uncharging it.

He had two days… Two days to make the plan work, or two days to live. It was his choice. Lesson number two told him that he was going to make the plan work and then continue his life pursuing lesson number one, but something about it made his skin crawl.

He charged his shirt even more, almost to the point where it was unstable, and then slowly reabsorbed the energy, not wanting any scars.

For a moment or two he returned his attention back to Rogue, tossing and turning in her sleep, grappling with monster he wouldn't be able to comprehend. But, what he could comprehend was the fear. He could feel it through her and it wouldn't have mattered if he had been anywhere else in the world, he would have felt it.

Why did it have to be this girl?

Suddenly, that girl screamed and sat bolt upright.

"Calm down, cherie," He sat down next to her, trying to sooth her with out actually touching her. "It was just a dream."

Rogue ran her hands up and down her body, trying to make sure she was actually real before it sunk in where she was. "Sorry." She looked up at Remy with those ridiculously green eyes that were slightly wet with tears. "I had a bad dream."

Remy watched her, and probably for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say. He was a liar and a thief, what was he supposed to say to make someone feel better?

"Actually," Rogue added after a moment's thought. "You were in it."

"You havin' dreams 'bout ol' Gambit now, cher?" He joked to cover up how stunned he actually was. Had he been the one making her scream?

Through his empathy he could feel her mood lighten at the familiarity of his advance mixed with the slight swell of embarrassment she always felt when he did that.

"Don't let it go to your head." She snipped.

"Too late." He assured her. "Ya mind telling Gambit what exactly he did in this dream exactly?"

"Yes!" She sounded outraged, but he could feel her embarrassment completely outweigh her anger.

"Goodness," He smiled at her. "It must have been bad." He emphasized 'bad' and let her draw any conclusion to what he was talking about on her own.

"No it wasn't!" Rogue's face was positively glowing red at this point and he didn't need empathy to know she regretted telling him that he was in her dream. He almost laughed. Almost.

"Oh, come on," Remy pretended to sulk. "Was I naked?"

"You're obnoxious!"

"Dat's not an answer." He sang.

"Fine!" Rogue stood up and started walking around, trying to burn off some of the mortification. "You were holding my hand. Happy? And then you let me go and I was consumed by a giant hole of darkness and death!"

"So, Gambit was fully clothed 'den?" He said after a small pause to cover up his own mortification. It was his fault.

To his surprise, Rogue giggled slightly at this, appreciating him skipping over the part where they were holding hands and the part about her being sucked into a dramatic death, and right to the part that would have fueled his ego. "Yes," She smiled. "You had all your clothes on."

Remy set his lips in a pout. "Aww…"

"Oh, hush you," She crawled back into the bed she had been inhabiting, waving him away in the same action.

He walked over to the door, appealing to her dismissal.

"Rogue," He said over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" She looked up, honestly not knowing what to expect from the Cajun man.

He hesitated for a moment.

"Fais de beaux rêves." He turned out of the room and closed the door behind him. Sweet dreams.

He stood for a moment, lingering in front of the door, fighting the urge to go back in there and tell her exactly what he had wanted to say.

The truth.

-

There were two choices in this particular situation- the logical choice, and the choice that made sure everyone stayed alive.

The logical choice would be for Logan to lead a few of the team to go find Rogue and have Deadpool lead the others to find out more on who exactly wanted Rogue.

The choice that made sure everyone stayed alive was the one that made sure as hell Deadpool was not leading anyone anywhere.

Logan did not hesitate to go with the second option.

"But…" Kitty looked up at him when he explained his reasonings to the entire team. "What about Rogue?"

"If Gambit touches a hair on her head," Logan growled, the anger that had been revisiting him more and more as of late flared again. "The only 'Cajun' thing he'll represent is jambalaya."

Kitty was slightly skeptical, but she had seen the number he had done to the MRD agents that had spilled into the mansion earlier, so she was in no position to doubt his abilities to inflict pain. And she knew for fact that if anyone made a wrong move by Rogue, it was a wrong move times a million by Logan.

Kurt sat hunched in the shadows, his usual spot, listening to Kitty's and Logan's exchange. He wasn't about to interject his personal desire to go find Rogue after Logan had already made up his mind on what was more important at the moment. Though, Kurt warily agreed that it was more important to stop the people after her before finding her, he sent his prayers out for Rogue, and his threats out to Gambit.

Bobby shuffled from foot to foot, anxious to do something, anything. He was nervous about his home being blown up and invaded, worried about Rogue, scared of the new guy, completely terrified of Logan, and really, really hungry.

Ororo stayed silent, waiting for Logan to finish briefing them on what exactly their mission was. She did not like this in the slightest. It seemed as though all of the scales had been pushed out of their favor. Now, three of the biggest names that the X-men stood against were banning together to take down her family. And she was simply not going to stand for it.

Scott stood in his usual, stiff manner. He was concerned for Rogue, yes. He was wary of Gambit, sure. He was a little wierded out by the guy in the face mask, absolutely. But most of all he was very, very angry. He knew the people who were trying to take apart what he had worked for years to obtain, and had just gotten back. If they thought they were going to do it without a fight, they were wrong. Dead. Wrong.

Deadpool was wondering what happened to Sammy, his favorite gun. He could have sworn he had had her on him when he had walked into this place. …Maybe when Logan cut his legs off…

"Deadpool!"

"What?" He looked up to notice everyone was staring at him again. Why did that always happen when he wasn't paying attention?

"Well, anytime you're ready," Logan said. "We'd like to get on our way, bub. And, since you're the only one who knows who we're after where…"

Deadpool jumped into the air with glee as those words found homes on the 'Words I understand' list. "You mean I'm like Team Captain?"

"No-" Logan started to discourage that thinking, but it was too late. "You shall all address me as Dr. Professor Awesome Pants," He paced in front of the other X-man. "Or there will be blood."

Snikt.

Logan held out his claws menacingly in Deadpool's direction.

"Or, we could just go." Deadpool shrugged. "If we wanted to do it the 'no-fun' way."

Deadpool started to walk resolutely away, opening a door and slamming it behind him.

Logan and the others stared at the door for a few moments.

Deadpool came stomping back out.

"Someone could have told me it was a closet."

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this." Logan said.

"Nonsense my good man." Deadpool marched forward toward the correct door this time. "Tallyho!"

Everyone stared after him.

"…No, seriously. Rogue's doomed…"