It's chapter 5 time everyone. Not much to say here except happy summer!

R&R! and enjoy!

Explosions of Every Kind Chapter 5: Get the Hell Out Of Here

Rogue awoke in the same living room chair she'd been in for two days. Once again, she looked down at claws and fur where she wanted to see a normal, glove-covered hand. She desperately craved to put back on her gloves, because even though she had Sabertooth's powers, she still had her own and hated not being completely covered when she knew she could accidentally hurt someone. This was one of her primary thoughts nowadays, especially after what she did to Sabertooth. It kept nagging at her, each and every day. It was slowly tearing her apart from the inside out.

Rogue raised herself out of the cushioned furniture and went to the kitchen. Searching through the top cupboard for some cereal that wasn't labeled 'Bobby's DON'T TOUCH' her mind drifted back to everything that had happened recently. The flirting during battles, the explosion, calling out his real name and actually telling him about it, all the fighting he did for her, and finally absorbing Sabertooth to almost the point of death. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize Kurt popping in to get a bagel. Well, Kurt used this situation to his advantage and decided to have some fun with his sister so he snuck up behind her and squeezed her sides, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and jump four feet into the air.

"Surprise!" he cheered gleefully.

She growled at him from on top of the countertop. "What do y'want?" she screeched.

"How are you?" Kurt's voice was still teaming with delight. He offered his hand up to her in assistance of getting her down.

She refused and jumped down herself, digging her claws into the floor as she landed. "How do y'think?" she replied spitefully. Kurt tried to be serious and put his arm around Rogue for comfort. She flinched at the touch and bared her teeth at him. "Ah might be stuck like this, Kurt."

This time he tried to use humor to make her feel better, "Hey, at least I won't be the only furry one now." He managed a fake nervous laugh, but she just glared at him.

"He made me worse than a killer," Rogue sneered. Everything she said now was dripping with disdain; most people attributed that fact to Sabertooth, and they were probably correct.

"You don't mean that," Kurt said, "that's just your anger talking."

"You're wrong," her voice was dark, "Ah didn't just comatose him, Ah stole him."

"You had no choice," he redeemed.

"Yes Ah did."

When she turned to walk out Kurt stopped her by grabbing her wrist, "Rogue," he said, but before he could say anything else she ripped out of his grip and left.

Rogue walked back into the living room to discover the couch Gambit laid upon earlier empty. 'Great,' she thought, 'now I have to find him too.' She was in no mood to deal with anyone, particularly Gambit.

She searched the guys' wing of the mansion first, hoping to just find him stealing something like a normal thief inside their enemy's base would, but then again he was far from normal and she knew it. Next, she explored for him in the girls' portion of the mansion. Thinking he'd probably be going through some unfortunate girl's dresser in search of souvenirs. But, once again she didn't find him. After that, she searched the Professor's office to make sure the weasel wasn't stealing files, he wasn't.

She was losing steam and her search was providing no results. To blow off her aggravation she decided to go to the danger room. Rogue pounded on the metal doors that lead into the danger room. She was too irritated to bother with the control panel. Instead, Rogue wrestled her clawed hands in-between the two doors and pushed them apart with all her strength, or with all of Sabertooth's strength. To her surprise, the one person she had just spent over an hour searching for was in there.

"You!" she growled.

Gambit stopped training and turned around, "Bonjour Chere," he purred.

"Why are y'in here?"

"Gambit has to practice his moves just like you X-men, non?" he answered, "that's all I'm doin'."

"Y'have three broken ribs, y'need rest."

"Gambit'll be fine."

"Y'r gonna kill y'rself Swamp Rat."

"Gambit'll be fine," he repeated. He wanted to prove to her that he was invincible and because of that she could always rely on him. But, the truth was his ribcage was aching horribly.

"Whatever."

Rogue hated seeing him now, every time she looked at him she was reminded of sucking the life out of Sabertooth. In addition to that, Sabertooth's psyche was becoming overwhelmingly dominate over the others and was clouding her thoughts. Her upper lip started to curl into a snarl, except this time she caught herself and stopped it. But Sabertooth's signature growl was resounding from her throat without her awareness. 'No, no!' she thought, 'he's taking over.' She fell to her knees screaming, "Get out of mah head!"

"Rogue!" Gambit ran over to her and dropped to his knees but the second his hand reached out for her she snarled and bit at him. He was forced to back away.

"No!" she started screaming. Rogue felt Sabertooth taking control of her thoughts. "Was she wroth it, LeBeau?" she growled in Sabertooth's voice. At that moment she reverted back to herself and screeched, "No, y'won't overcome me!" She was struggling for control in her mind and was able to utter, "Remy, help. Help me." Then she shrieked in pain and collapsed to the floor.

Gambit rushed through the mansion in search of the Professor. Needless to say, he had drawn a crowd, but Gambit didn't care, the only thing important to him was getting Rogue help. As it would turn out, his mob actually was of some assistance to him when Bobby piped up, "The Prof is in the war room."

Gambit wasted no time in running to the war room and all but breaking down the entrance. "It's Rogue," he gasped breathlessly, "Sab'rtooth, he's, he's takin' ov'r. She can't fight him much long'r."

Everyone rushed out. When they arrived at the danger room doors the Professor forced everyone to stay back, Gambit of course fought this order to best of his abilities but in the end was rejected and was forced to be a bystander. Xavier slowly approached Rogue, who was wriggling in pain and screaming against her inner demon.

"Rogue," Xavier whispered. She couldn't hear him. "Rogue," he tried again, "We'll fight him together." With that he placed his hands to his head and attempted to penetrate her mind. In her weakened state, he entered her mind quite easily, but it was a battlefield inside her head. Sabertooth's shade was strangling her own psyche with one hand, lifting her visibly off the ground. In here, she could not absorb anyone and she struggled to fight back but was still dreadfully weak. He was squeezing the life out of her, and slowly her eyes started to close.

The Professor was not limited by his disability within the mind and ran towards Sabertooth. In his hand materialized an electromagnetic-pulse gun and he fired at him repeatedly. Sabertooth growled at the tinge of pain he felt with each blast. Rogue gasped at her lack of air and wriggled beneath Sabertooth's grip, kicking at him in a last attempt to break free. In reaction to the Professor's weapon, Sabertooth hurled Rogue at him, causing them both to tumble backwards.

Rogue coughed and panted for air, although she could not get up and the Professor was forced to take Sabertooth alone. As he charged at him, a knight's armor and lance appeared around him and he tried to plunge it deep into Sabertooth's side. But, a knight's long sword materialized in Sabertooth's hand and he dashed out of the way then down-chopped the lance, trapping the Professor below him.

Outside of Rogue's mind, Gambit couldn't take it. He saw the agony on the Professor's face and Rogue still writhing in the fetal position and knew something was wrong. He didn't care about the orders; he went in, despite all the other X-men telling him to stay. Gambit dropped to his knees next to the Professor and pleaded, "Let me in there. I can help."

The sound of Gambit's voice resonated through Rogue's head and the Professor could barely make out the words. "Get back with the others!" he replied. And as he said it inside her mind his body repeated the words.

"No! Get me in there!" Gambit shouted.

"Then relax your mind," the Professor whispered.

He did so. While the Professor was sword fighting with Sabertooth he also found the power to take Gambit's psyche and transfer it into Rogue's mind.

As Gambit appeared within her mind he surveyed the unusual environment and saw Rogue unconscious in a heap on the ground and started to run to her. Just as he did the Professor said, "No, if we are successful she will be okay. You wanted in, now help fight."

Reluctantly, he turned away from her and reached into his pocket for a card. Charging it, Gambit hurled the explosive card at Sabertooth's head. Then, let fly six more all in a row. The blasts distracted Sabertooth enough for Xavier to slash his arm with his broad sword. Next, he sliced one of his legs and Sabertooth fell to one knee, clawing at Xavier through the smoke that was quickly clearing. While all this happened, Gambit snuck around to the backside of Sabertooth and roundhouse kicked his fellow acolyte causing him to fall to the ground bleeding and unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Gambit asked, "What now? He'll jus' wake up 'n hurt her again." At that moment, an outsized steel-rod prison cell appeared. "We just drag him in there?"

"No," Xavier responded, "There's a catch. Whoever takes him in there stays with him."

"I'll do it," Gambit said wasting no time.

Rogue slowly got to her feet and hobbled over to them, whispering, "No, Ah won't let y'sacrifice anymore for me."

"You can't stop me, Rogue."

"But I can," the Professor interjected.

"No," Rogue moaned, "the X-men need ya. No one else is gonna get hurt cause a'me."

"I will," a faint, yet thickly accented voice said from the background. All three turned around to see the shade of Remy that Rogue had absorbed during their first kiss.

"Whoever goes in there with him will be killed when he awakes," Xavier warned.

"I'm jus' Remy's shadow stuck inside my belle femme's mind. No harm will come from my ruin. Besides mes amis, whichever one o' you stays, your body'll be permanently comatose."

They agreed and the shadow of Gambit slowly drug the bleeding Sabertooth into the cell. As the door closed behind them, the bars melded together and they were sent to the depths of Rogue's mind.

Back in the danger room, all three opened their eyes at once. The Professor looked solemn because he knew even though they had won today; Rogue's mental battles were not over. However Gambit seemed to have only one concern on his mind: Rogue. He fell to his knees and bent over her. "Chere," he whispered.

She grumbled in response. Next, Gambit turned her over from her side to her back so he could see her face. Sabertooth's features, though still noticeably visible, were fading. Her eyes fluttered open and although she cherished Gambit and pretended not to, she was still upset that the first face she saw was his.

"Rogue," he whispered affectionately.

With all the love she had, she wanted to embrace and kiss him. But she knew she couldn't. So once again, for her safety and his, she put up emotional barriers and screamed at him, "You! This is y'r fault. Ah hate ya. Get the hell outta here!"

Gambit was shocked; he thought they'd really made some headway in their relationship. He was stunned, but he knew he shouldn't be. "No," he answered.

"It wasn't a question. Leave acolyte!"

"No."

Rogue growled at him, not knowing she still had it in her. "Go away."

"No," he said firmly, and then he turned to Xavier and announced, "I'd like t'join the X-men."

oh yes he did! hahaha

tell me what you think

Chapter 6 will be up whenever I get around to it!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN XMEN/XMEN EVOLUTION