Author's Note: In the unlikely event you haven't seen X-Men: First Class, there are big spoilers in this chapter for the ending of the movie. If you don't want to be spoiled, ignore the first section that's in italics (the other italics are safe). You won't be lost if you skip, the background simply helps to set the tone for what Rogue says afterwards.

And sorry for the delay but real life got in the way for a bit there (sinus infection, swollen ankle, etc). I am still several chapters ahead but I think I'm going to have to slow down on the posting for a bit anyway or else I will get ahead of myself without proper editing.

Chapter Twenty

Home of Robert Lord

"A story, cheri?" Gambit questioned and Rogue had to admit, it did sound a little ridiculous.

"Yah know Mystique raised me," she pushed on, not getting distracted, not losing her nerve. "That she trained not just me but Pryo, QuickSilver, and Avalanche?"

"Oui," he gave her an intense stare, unsure where she was going with this.

"Magneto, he liked ta come around, from time ta time, check on our progress," and to keep an eye on his son, though Rouge hadn't known that until much later, just one more accidental secret she was made to keep, "yah might not believe this, but tha man, he likes ta tell stories."

That threw the thief, his face softening.

"He'd talk about his childhood," she continued, afraid if she stopped she wouldn't be able to start back up again, "about tha concentration camps, about Sebastian Shaw. Do yah know that story? What Shaw did ta him, and what Magneto did ta Shaw?"

"A bit," Gambit answered quietly. "I know what he did to Shaw." The story was well versed in the mutant community, it was an event that changed everything.

Shaw was a Nazi officer at a Polish concentration camp in WW2 when he met the young Erik Lensherr. In an attempt to study the boy's mutation, Shaw killed Erik's mother right in front of him to get a reaction. That wasn't the end of the torture but eventually after the war Shaw escaped and Erik made it his life's goal to hunt him down.

Years later, Erik met Charles Xavier and the two became friends along with Mystique who had been an 'adopted' sister of Xavier's. They gathered other mutants around them and attempted to help them understand their abilities and to not be ashamed or afraid of what they were.

Mystique gave Erik the mutant code-name of Magneto and it stuck.

However, it became obvious that Magneto and Xavier did not quite see eye to eye about how to deal with the Shaw's of the world and the prejudice that was piling against them.

The government enlisted the mutant's help to deal with Shaw who had taken his own personal submarine to Cuban to start World War III. The group was able to fight against Shaw's mutant followers and eventually stop Shaw's plan from succeeding, but Xavier was unable to stop Magneto from getting revenge against Shaw. Magneto drove a Reichsmark coin through the man's head, killing him.

Then the military turned on the mutants, firing missiles at them which Magneto attempted to send back to the naval vessels. Xavier was able to stop the whole-sale slaughter but it cost him his ability to walk, an ill-placed ricochet striking his spine.

Xavier and Magneto ended their friendship and in a way, Shaw got what he wanted, a whole new War, one much more subtle and dangerous than anything he could have possibly hoped for.

"On one of his visits," Rogue continued, if Gambit knew about the Cuban Missile Crisis incident then he knew enough, "Magneto started telling us about Shaw's death, for maybe tha hundredth time, only this day, he told us part of tha story he'd always left out," she felt as if her throat might close up on her at any moment, "I can't even remember why he did it, what prompted it, but I can remember tha story."

The Cajun stood quietly, as she took a few breaths, calming herself.

"He told us that before he confronted Shaw, Xavier talked ta him… they were still friends then…" she chose her next words carefully, remembering the hurt and pain Magneto tried and failed to hide as he spoke, "Xavier told Magneto that going after Shaw, killing him and taking revenge on all tha people who hurt him so badly, would not bring him peace…" mist started to form in the corner of her eyes but she would not cry, "to which Magneto replied, peace was never an option."

Gambit's face fell, questions on his lips but she pressed on.

"When Mystique, tha one person who cared about me, who loved me, was murdered…" she almost choked on the memories… "I remembered Magneto's story… and I believed him.

Rogue watched as a building, already on fire, collapsed under its own weight, surely her mother would have gotten out in time? A figure darted up into the sky, a woman, covered in blood that wasn't her own…

"As I tracked down the woman who killed her, I remembered tha story… and I believed him.

Rogue walked into a room where four Air Force officers sat at desks, no one noticed her, they were used to people coming in and out. Tugging off a glove she strode purposefully past them, her hand brushing against the back of their necks, each dropping like flies…

"As I confronted that murdering blonde bitch, I remembered tha story… and I believed him.

Rogue watched as Carol Danvers crossed back over to the piano, having noticed the broken frame. This was it, she finally had her….

"When I realized what I'd done, that I got what I wanted, I remembered tha story… and I believed him.

Rogue sat in a corner of a dingy restaurant, weeks later, slowly bending metal knives and forks as if they were made of putty. Carol was still there, whispering, screaming, a solid conscious skimming the surface of her own…

"Every time I use my ill-gotten powers, I remember tha story… and I believed him."

Silence settled between them, she could no longer look at the mutant thief, it was everything she could do to keep the tears back. She wasn't going to cry, not in front of him, not ever.

"Do you…" Gambit started awkwardly, "do you still believe he was right? Dat peace isn't an option?"

"I…" her voice failed her for a moment, but she swallowed, wetting her mouth, "I don't know," Rogue admitted, "but I do know that Xavier… Xavier was right."

She looked up at the thief but now he was the one to look away, out the window, before saying, "Are you trying to stop me, Rogue?"

It was a good question, but the truth was, "No." There was no point in trying to stop him, he had to figure this one out on his own and there wasn't a damned thing she could do other than hope she will be there to keep him from making an even worse mistake than she did.

He took a step forward, "Are you leaving?"

Shaking her head gently, "No."

The man looked genuinely confused, "What are you doing, mon cheri?"

Rogue took a long breath, holding it for a second, "Just telling yah a story."

With that she turned towards the door, feeling the thief's intense stare at her back as she took hold of the handle.

"Remy," his name felt both strange and pleasant on her lips as she used it for the first time, "what is it tha say, good friends help yah move, great friends help you move tha body?" she looked over her shoulder at him. "Just make sure it ain't your body I'll be moving tomorrow."

Before the man could say anything, she slipped out and pulled the door closed behind her. She hadn't really known what possessed her to go to him, to tell him Magneto's story. But as much as the thief annoyed her, exasperated her, flirted with her, he was her friend and she hated that she didn't know how to help him.

She figured of all people she would be the one to know… but remembering when she stood in his shoes, she's not sure she would have listened to anyone. Maybe Pyro, but he didn't have much to say and kept to himself until it was all over. He had been afraid of her, not that she could blame him, she wasn't exactly the most hospitable after her mother died.

Pain swelled at her temples and she stumbled against the barren wall, voices crying out but she pushed them back. She didn't need this right now, she was plenty reminded of her guilt and tomorrow… tomorrow she'd likely have much more to add to it.

…

Edward James Olmos as Marius Bordeaux

Assassin's Guild House

It was almost three in the morning and Marius Bordeaux sat in his study, pouring over the reports of the explosion. Lots of broken glass, some minor damage from the falling debris, cuts and bruises from panicked individuals, but not a single fatality.

Just what in hell's fire and brimstone was going on?

He knew, but he didn't want to believe it. Could things have really been drawn out to this point? Could he have really let it get this far?

And on an entirely separate note, could his security get any more lax?

Sighing, he lifted his weight from the chair, he wasn't an overweight or out of shape man, but tonight he felt as if a thousand bricks were hanging off of him. Pouring himself a bourbon, he headed over to the balcony, unlocking the glass door before heading out into the cool night air.

"Never did figure out how you kept getting past the forward security perimeters," he grumbled, sipping at the drink.

A shadow detached from the wall, "Told Bella I'd keep it a secret, I keep my word."

Marius turned to his ex-son-in-law, old angers rising to the surface but calmed by time. His beautiful Bella died ten years ago, it took him awhile to get over that, but like hell he was going to let this… thief, ruin what little peace he had left.

"What do you want, LeBeau?" he asked harshly.

"Information," the man said evenly, "I want to know where Julien is."

"Julien's dead," the assassin spat back, trying to hold back the anger, "you gutted him, remember."

"He fell on his sword for his cause," LeBeau shot back tightly, "you know dat."

Glaring at the thief, Marius didn't need to be reminded of such a fact. Turning his back to LeBeau, the assassin stepped farther out onto the balcony, drowning his drink and slamming it on the balustrade. Eventually his anger gave into resignation, "He was always a troubled lad."

"Ambitious," LeBeau corrected him, his voice returning to neutrality, "he never wanted peace between da guilds, he wanted control of all da resources, to make himself… Death, Destroyer of Worlds."

The Assassin's Patriarch wanted to argue but in his heart he couldn't. "As I said… troubled."

Silence passed between the two men before LeBeau asked, "How did he survive? Dere was no way he could get to a hospital in time, not where dat sword stabbed him, da blood he was losing."

"You don't have to explain the fatality of wounds to me, thief," Marius barked, drawing nesting birds to awaken and scatter.

"I saw Julien," LeBeau's voice went cold, "it was him, alive and as bastardly as ever. He planted dat bomb, but I think you knew dat already."

Marius stared into his empty glass, wishing he had thought to bring the bottle out with him. "Da Guild had nothing to do with dat."

"Didn't say it did," there was almost a note of sympathy there. "He's worse dan I've ever known him, you have to see dat."

He saw, he knew, but, "He's my son…" the words felt like coal on his tongue. "Six months after his 'death' he revealed he was still alive, there was a mutant, could hold off death..."

Julien fell to the ground, all Remy saw was Bella rushing over him, but the man who checked Julien's pulse mere seconds later… his eyes, white, empty… a yellow hum at the tips of his fingers…

"Course," Marius continued, "a doctor was paid off to say he died and with da death of Bella mere days later… I didn't pay as much attention to da details as I should have, especially when he came back."

"He planned all dis," the thief's voice went back to even, cold, "made sure da truce was tenuous, kept everything by a thread until he was ready to make his move. Took him a decade, but assassins and thieves… we're creatures of infinite patience."

"Dat we are," it was the one thing he would ever agree on with the man.

True to that note, both men stood quietly, waiting for the other to make the next move. They would be there till the sun came up, they were stubborn enough.

"I told you," Marius was getting too old for all this, "he's still my son. I won't tell you were he is so you can go enact your revenge."

LeBeau was quiet, forming his counter-argument. Marius was ready for everything the man could say, except what actually came out of his mouth, "Jueyin Meridian, always favoring the left."

The Patriarch stood stock still, the words meant something to him but, "How…?"

"Many things about da night Bella died never sat well with me," finally some real emotion broke LeBeau's voice, "Love is a funny thing, and as much as I'd wish she would have, she'd never give up being an assassin, not even for me, and I let myself be okay with dat. Not like I could give up being a thief."

"She was good at what she did," Marius added sadly, just one of the many reasons he missed his Bella Donna.

"So why did she abandon da Guild dat night?" LeBeau said harshly, "Turn her back on her family? I wanted to believe it was for me, for us, but dat wasn't Bella," the man paused, taking in hard shallow breaths, covering his sorrow and anger, "I figure dere be only two reasons, either she was set up… or dere was something dat frightened her enough to want to leave, and Bella, she wasn't frightened of anything."

Everything came together, "Except Julien."

"Aye," there was no pleasure in his voice, "Bella told me how she loved her brother, he was her kin, but she also worried dat if Julien took over da Guild, dat it would mean da end of everything. She would fight him any way she could once you retired or passed on."

"Jueyin Meridian, always favoring the left," Marius repeated the words, his heart sinking as he did so. "Julien always shot for the Jueyin Meridian on a target," every section of the body was separated into Meridian's, each had their own weaknesses, fatality rates, and length till death, "and he always favored the left, never could hit center on dat Meridian."

"Bella knew," LeBeau finally stepped completely out of the shadows, his face tight with anger, "'Jueyin Meridian, always favoring the left' was her dying words. She knew it was Julien who shot her, she was running from her own brother."

Marius stumbled back against the balustrade, the weight of the man's words holding heavy. "You could be lying to me."

"Perhaps," the thief admitted, jaw tight, "but neither of us could find her killer, because we were looking for a dead man. Four days, enough time for him to heal, especially if a mutant was involved."

His words were a whisper, "He murdered his own sister…"

"He thought I corrupted her," sadness seeped in, "we both wanted to keep da peace."

The Assassin's Patriarch turned away from his ex-son-in-law, staring out over the lawn into the darkness. "He's still my son…"

The thief took one step forward, "He lost dat right da moment he shot Bella."

Marius took several long breaths, trying to reconcile all this new information.

"Assassins do not kill dere own," LeBeau added, digging the knife deeper. "Not inside dere Guild House, even if dey deserve it."

"Don't quote Guild law to me," he bit back, though with less venom than he thought there would be.

"Marius," LeBeau walked within striking distance, but made no indication he wanted to fight, "you know what has to be done now."

The assassin turned his head to stare at the man he had begrudgingly taken into his family. He had thought it a mistake then but now it was a non-issue. Events still would have unfolded badly if Marius had attempted peace in any way, any shape. This thief and his daughter was simply caught in the middle of it.

"You really did love Bella," the father in him never thought to ask this before.

"Yes," he tried to keep his voice even but the pain was there, "I did."

There was no mistaking what the young man was going to do once he found her murderer.

"Tell me," LeBeau continued, his words between a request and a demand, "where's Julien."

Marius turned towards the thief, knowing he had no choice now, he knew what had to be done.

…

Home of Robert Lord

It was daylight now, he'd managed to get a couple hours of sleep, enough to keep him going through what was to happen next. He stepped out of his bedroom, the room that was to be his and Bella's, and attempted to leave everything that could have been behind. He'd carried it all with him for far too long, and now, one way or another, it was going to be over.

Checking his pockets he had five decks of backup playing cards, two decks already up his sleeves. Bo staff in proper working order, he was ready for the fight of his life.

"Nah, yah don't have ta go overboard," he heard Rogue's voice as she spoke on the phone from her room, "simple is best."

Walking to the stairs he could see her now through the open doorway, staring out a window as she spoke. She was dressed like the first time he met her in Baghdad, brown boots, a darker shade than her kaki pants, with a hunter green turtle neck poking out from her tight leather jacket. He knew about her mutation when he first laid eyes on her and he thought it a damn shame, but then the more enticing the rose, the sharper the thorn.

If anything happened to her because of him he'd never forgive himself… but at the same time, the woman could take care of herself and he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather have at his back right now. It was a dichotomy of emotions that had swirled around his head since the moment she grabbed Shiro's laptop and put herself in real danger for him. Fighting Yakuza was one thing, she was trained by some of the best and invulnerable, but fighting against the psyches locked up in her head, now that was something else entirely.

She laughed at the person on the phone, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head.

A small smile tugged at his lips, this is how he wanted to remember her, if everything went horribly wrong and there was a better than even chance that it would.

Without a word he quietly descended the stairs, pausing only briefly at the front door. Taking one long deep breath, this was it.

Today is when it all ended, one way or another.

…

"Hey, you're already in tha area and yah owe me," Rogue said into the phone. "I saved yah skinny butt at tha Vault, remember."

"You wouldn't have had to if your boyfriend hadn't tripped the alarm," Pyro grumbled like a pouty younger brother.

Rogue laughed at the ridiculousness of his words, "He's not my boyfriend, and that was business, this is personal, he needs my help."

"You're so getting played," his continued sulking was more than amusing.

She couldn't help but grin, "Maybe I like tha game, ever think of that?"

There was the distinctive sound of a door opening and closing.

"One sec," she told the Australian as she stepped out into the hallway, staring over the balcony at the front door. Raising her voice, "Gambit?"

"Something wrong?" Pyro asked.

"It's Gambit," she told him, "he's already left…"