Thanks to everyone that reviewed, it's nice to see people sticking with me =)

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men.

With her gloved hand securely held in his, he pulled her gently through the maze of storage containers; moving swiftly and confidently as if it was a path he walked along every day. She stayed silent, anger bubbling just beneath the surface of her skin. She wanted to hit him, to beat him senseless for thinking he could snatch her away so easily. At the very least she wanted to unleash the string of profanities currently racing through her mind but she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under her skin.

- Youwant him under your skin –

It was said so softly and seductively she couldn't tell which one of the psyches had uttered it. A small laugh escaped her lips as she dismissed the thought as ridiculous. Sure Gambit was good looking and so what if he had a body that was toned to perfection. She could even admit that she admired the way he moved with such grace but that didn't mean she wantedhim, did it? Her gaze dropped to the hand that was wrapped around her own. It was not the tight, restraining grasp of a captor. It was the warm and comforting touch of a friend. She marvelled at the way her hand seemed to fit into his perfectly even though there was a considerable size difference between them.

She was so busy contemplating this fact that she didn't notice him stopping until she walked right into him. He held her gaze but said nothing. Rogue felt like he was staring straight into her soul. A memory flashed before her eyes; a pair of soft lips brushing against her own and the subtle smell of clove cigarettes filling her senses. Her eyes dropped to Gambit's lips that were once again within her reach; she didn't know why but she wanted to feel them against her own once more.

"How did ya do it? How did ya touch meh?" His eyes seemed to re-focus as if he hadn't been looking at her at all. A small crease formed between his eyes and his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Dat's a story for a later time chéri." He released her and turned awa. Rogue was surprised at how much she regretted the loss of his warm touch. She looked down at the now empty hand he had held; it tingled slightly.

"Ahh, dere she is, de New Awlins Express." He smiled to her and disappeared around the next corner. Rogue sighed to herself before following him. As she rounded the corner she was met with the impressive sight of a cargo train. Rogue looked left to right but couldn't see the head or tail of the train just storage cart after storage cart. Gambit was already at the side of the nearest one prying the door open with his staff. Once the door was open enough for the pair to slip through he turned back to face Rogue and gave her a gallant 'ladies first' bow. She rolled her eyes and shoved past him; she found her footing on the side of the train and began to lift herself up, but was surprised as a fresh wave of pain shook her body causing her to gasp out loud.

Gambit moved forward and caught her hips, holding her securely while she recovered. He then gently lifted her up enough for her to scramble on board and shuffle away from the door as he leapt up, as graceful as a cat. He gave her a concerned look as she stiffly moved to rest against a wooden crate as far away from him as she could get. It was bothering her how much a small touch from him affected her both physically and mentally.

"Ah'm fahne." she snapped before he could comment.

"Of course y' are, it's not like y' got any serious wounds dat are soaking y're clothes or anyt'ing." He gave her a sly look as he came to sit by her, pulling the small box she'd forgotten he had from inside his coat. Now that she was close enough to see it properly she could tell that it was a first aid kit; the type that are normally fixed to walls.

"Now let's take care of dat shall we." She looked at him, trying to figure out his motives but his face gave nothing away. Giving in she began to pull her sweater up, attempting not to hurt her back as she took it off. Gambit, seeing her struggle, gently helped her to manoeuvre the sweater over her head, letting his fingers, protected by the sweater, glide down her arms causing a shiver to run down her spine. Their eyes locked for a moment before Rogue turned away, her cheeks flushing.

For a long time neither of them said a word as he worked on her back. The only sounds were Rogue's occasional gasps of pain caused by the disinfectant Gambit was using. She tried to shut him out but it was hard not to focus on where his hands touched her back. He'd put on a pair of surgical gloves in order to attend to her injury and to Rogue it felt like he was touching her with his bare hands; the sensations caused by his gently touches dancing over her back consumed her. She let her head drop forward to rest on her knees, completely content for the time being.

"So what's the damage Doc?" she asked, forgetting their previous awkward silence.

"Do y' want it sugar coated?"

"No." He placed a bandage on her back before he responded, smoothing down the edges with the palm of his hand. He then pulled her vest top down, stealing the chance to run his hands down her sides as he did so.

"Well, y've re-opened de cut on y're back and torn deux o' de stitches. Probably did it when y' pulled dat roundhouse kick on Remy earlier but I patched y' up nicely. Should hold 'til we get y' t' de med lab."

"Med lab?" He froze; he'd obviously slipped up. It was the first time Rogue had ever seen this man make a mistake like that and gauging his re-action he couldn't believe it either.

"Gambit, where are yah taking meh?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU DON'T KNOW'!?" Logan's roar echoed through the mansions heavy stone walls. Kitty knew it would be useless for Storm to try and keep this quiet now. She sighed and rested her chin in her hand as she watched Logan grow more and more aggravated. It was going to be a long night.

Having heard Logan's initial growls in Rogue's room earlier she had followed him in his search for Storm (who was standing in for Professor Xavier while he was away). She had been concerned that Rogue had gotten herself into trouble and no-one had thought to kick her out yet.

"Logan please calm down." Storm begged.

"Don't tell me to calm down! That piece of swamp trash walked in here and snatched Rogue from her bedroom without tripping any of our security and without anyone noticing!" He continued his rant, pacing back and forth inside Professor Xavier's office. It was clear that the Weather Witch desperately wished for her mentor's presence now. Calming the Wolverine was no easy feat.

"I don't think 'snatched' is exactly the right word." Kitty said quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"Then what would you suggest Half-pint?" Logan ground his teeth.

"Well I've, like, checked the security videos and..."

"We already checked them Kitty, you can't see him on any of the tapes. He must have known where each camera was located and how to get past them so as not to trip the alarms." It was not like Storm to interrupt but she seemed to be as wound up about this as Logan.

"Yes, I know that but I looked at the camera in Rogue's room..."

"He's not on that one either," Logan snapped. He was growing frustrated with the young girl and just wanted to go kick some Cajun butt.

"Can you all, like, stop interrupting me?! No, Gambit wasn't seen on that camera either but Rogue was. From what I saw he didn't force her out of that window; she went willingly." She looked from one face to the other, hoping they would understand that maybe they were over-reacting. Sure, she was worried for her friend's safety but she had known for a while that Rogue had kept the playing card Gambit had given her last year and even before the events in New Orleans Kitty noticed a change in Rogue that only took place after she'd been in contact with the southerner; it was like he inspired a small glimmer of hope in the gothic girl. Besides she truly believed that Gambit would never actually hurt Rogue; wherever she was with him, Kitty was sure she was safe.

"What is that supposed to mean exactly?" He glared at her through squinted eyes. Logan didn't like the sound of what she was implying.

"Well, err... maybe it's not a kidnapping at all. Maybe she just wanted to get out for a while?" She shrank back in her chair, a little intimidated by the raging man standing in front of her.

"With Gumbo? Rogue's not stupid, he must have tricked her."

"The hows and the whys do not matter at this point, my only concern is finding out where she is now." Storm said seriously, wrapping up the conversation instantly.

"Right, I'll go track his sorry ass down. He's gonna wish he was never born." Logan's mood lifted for the first time since he came into Xavier's office.

"Take the senior members of the team with you."

"Grrrrr, Ororo." He glared at her, everyone knew Logan liked to work alone but Storm didn't back down. She held his gaze evenly.

"That's an order Logan."

Please R&R =)

I've broken my laptop so chapter 8 might be a little while, sorry guys.

Aza x