"How did you ever know she was coming here?" asked an alarmed Rogue.

"Don't think that I haven't been doin' anythin' lately just because I haven't been at the mansion. I've been at that park and the surroundin' areas for the last few days. I figured the prominent scent I found there was hers and she somehow masked it when Hank brought her to the mansion. I managed to find a trail leadin' away from the park and I followed it. About an hour ago, I finally came across her just outside the city. She unknowingly led me here and I've been wondering how to get close to her without her seein' me," he explained.

As he was talking, Rogue couldn't help but give a cheeky smile as she glanced over in the direction of the restaurant. Her mind went back to Gambit back at the mansion and of Hank, who God only knew where he was. A million ideas went through her head but instead a smile crossed her face before she returned her stare back to her comrade.

"Leave that to me," she told him.

He thought about it for a few seconds before giving a nod of his head. Rogue gave a sigh, several thoughts going through her head. She started to head across the street when a hand grabbed her arm and she turned enough to stare at him with a slightly confused look.

"All I ask is that you be careful even though I'm going to be right here in case you need help. She took both the Cajun and Hank down, so that's sayin' somethin'," he told her.

She gave a quick nod of the head before she walked over to the other side of the street. Taking a quick gulp, Rogue finally pushed her way through the door into the cafe. Glancing around, she noticed the many people that littered the room and wondered for a second if Kat was even still there amongst the throng that surrounded her. Soon enough, she found the feline mutant sitting in a corner laughing with a friend of hers.

'I'll have to wait a few minutes to see what she does next. Can't make such a ruckus with this crowd around,' thought Rogue.

She managed to find a chair a few tables away from the pair and subsequently ordered a coffee. As she waited for the drink to arrive, Rogue vigilantly watched the two as they bantered back and forth. As her eyes slowly went from Kat to her friend, she couldn't help but wonder how they met or what brought them to this place. She also wondered if the friend even knew what Kat did or even when she would return to Hank.

"Come on Kat, slip up," she muttered as the coffee finally arrived to the table. "Thank you."

The woman smiled and left her alone again with her thoughts as she continued with her vigil for the almost the next hour. She couldn't really hear much of what was going on and while it did irk her a bit, getting closer would set off alarms and Kat would most likely bolt. She happened to look up when Kat finally stood up and slowly began to make her way towards the door. Silently, Rogue climbed to her feet and gently walked out the door behind her. She quickly took notice that the feline had already started her way down the street and was turning a corner before heading after her. Once Rogue hit the corner of the building, two arms snapped under her arms and proceeded to throw her through the air and onto the ground. Momentarily stunned, it took her a moment for the figure above her to fall back into focus. A snarl began to form on her lips as the anger filled her mind.

"Better not think that I didn't know you were at the cafe. I saw you walk inside. You're not going to find Hank. He's mine now and don't you forget that either," Kat rasped at her.

"You are going to pay for this for what you've done to both Hank and Remy," Rogue yelled at her.

"Remy?" she repeated. "Remy? Oh yes, yes, the Cajun. I have to tell you that he's one of the luckier ones I've caught. Is he still alive? If he did, he's one of the few to survive my little tirades. But neither you nor he knows what it's truly like to walk around like what we do, having to hide from the world. When my mutation began to surface, all my friends and family began to shun me. In the end there was only one small group of people who accepted me for what I could do, not by what I looked like," she growled. "They will all pay, including you."

She darted to Rogue's left side so quickly the X-man barely caught a glimpse of her as she bolted down the street. It took Rogue a moment to realize what was happening as Wolverine had quickly made his way to her side.

"Let's follow her then. I think I may know where she's headed," he told her.

She nodded as she took to the air while her comrade began his pursuit on foot. As he manoeuvred his way through the streets Rogue carefully watched from above. Glancing ahead of them, she couldn't help but smirk as she saw the potential destination and pressed her comm.

"You just may be right Logan. It appears that she's headin' towards the park," she said.

"I figured as much. Just keep in touch in case she decides to change direction," he replied.

Picking up some speed, she continued after the cat. Watching her every move, Rogue soon began her descent as Kat got closer to the gates. Further inside, Rogue quickly dropped down in front of the feline, stopping her dead in her tracks. A flash of anger crossed Kat's face as she dropped to all fours. A snarl escaped her lips and Rogue blanched on what she witnessed next. The cat's normal red/orange fur elongated to more than twice its size and deepened to a much darker shade of red.

"Oh my," escaped Rogue's lips.

The feline lunged for the X-man, who barely managed to stumble out of the way as Wolverine finally reached the grassy field. He charged for her position and Kat's head twirled around to observe the newcomer's arrival and leapt out of the way before he hit her.

"I swear, you will pay for interfering like this," she rasped.

"Believe me, you bitch, you're goin' to be the one to pay for what you've done. You're not goin' to get away with this. Hank trusted you and you betrayed him," Wolverine spat at her.

"It's his fault for dealing with the likes of me and you'll never find him either. Only three people know where he is and for my good fortune, neither of you are any of them. Let's see you try and get it out of me," Kat retorted.

Rogue took a moment to think about what Kat had said before a knowing grin crossed her face. Wolverine glanced at his comrade and gave a quick humph before he returned his attention back to the feline mutant. He bore his claws for her to see as they slowly began to circle each other.

"Let's get this over with then, shall we? I'd be lying if I said I haven't wanted a piece of you for a while now," he asked her.

"Let's dance," hissed Kat.

She lunged for the Canadian, who swiftly dove to the ground as he was slightly unprepared for such an attack. Climbing back to his feet, he gritted his teeth as he stared at her. Both had quickly become completely oblivious to the nearby Rogue, who was carefully watching Kat as to make her move. Gently removing her gloves, she examined the growing scene before her as the cat and man continued to dance about with each other, fully knowing that she might not get another chance. As Kat manoeuvred her way around Wolverine, who was obviously getting exasperated by this fiasco, Rogue realized she had to make her move quickly when the opportunity arose. As the feline darted away from the X-men, she climbed back to her hind limbs and snarled.

"I am weary of this," she sighed.

"So am I Sweetheart," Wolverine growled at her. "But we're not still leaving until you tell us where to find Hank."

A screech filled the air and Wolverine glanced around him to find several cats inching their way out of the bushes around them. He snickered he saw them before returning his attention back to her.

"Do you honestly think a couple of cats would scare me?"

"No but I don't think you're stupid enough to underestimate me."

Taking this few second distraction, Rogue immediately leapt forward and forcibly grabbed the feline around her neck. Kat's eyes widened in shock as she quickly realized what was happening. Clawing at the hands that embraced her, she gasped for air yet Rogue didn't back down.

"You're goin' to tell us where Hank is, darlin' just not in the way that you think," Rogue said through gritted teeth.

The images flooded Rogue's mind as she hung on, some of which greatly disturbed her while other almost brought tears to her eyes. Images of fire, mobs and dilapidated buildings crossed her mind's eye. Parts of what she was seeing sparked a latent memory of her own and she couldn't for the life of her place where it was. Faces soon began to pop up before her and the screams that that filled her mind chilled Rogue to the bone. After several more seconds, she gulped once she recognized both Mystique and Magneto in amongst the myriad of memories floating through her mind. A growl escaped her lips and she released the feline, allowing her drop to the ground in a heap. Breathing heavily, she glanced over to Wolverine, who had his arms crossed and a huge grin sitting on his face. A few snorts of laughter emitted from his mouth.

"What?"

"It's about time. I was getting tired of toyin' with her. Find out where Hank is?"

Rogue nodded as she continued to stare at Kat laying at her feet, her fur slowly returning to its normal colour. Several emotions swirled through her brain as she stared at the sprouts of fur on her own hands. Wolverine carefully stepped up to her side, taking in the sight before him.

"I say we leave her here. She's given us enough grief already. She'll realize once she wakes up that we'll go after Hank and that she's lost him," he told her.

"That may be true Logan but she'll be back. I can count on that. There's more to this what any of the others realize. All I know is that once we get back to the mansion, I have to talk to the professor," she replied.

Before they could do anything, they took notice of a figure approaching them. Rogue gulped once she saw it was a police officer and wondered if he was going to believe they were a threat to him. Gently, she turned away from him as Wolverine stepped in between them in order to obscure the officer's view.

"What's going on here? There were some reports of a ruckus around here," he demanded.

"We managed to subdue the one responsible for the recent attacks officer. We will leave her in your care and hopefully you will see to it that she is brought to justice," he told the new arrival.

The man's eyes shot up in surprise as he listened to Wolverine's explanation. His attention darted between them and the feline that lay on the ground before them. He carefully turned from the duo for a moment as he spoke into his walkie-talkie. They heard a muffled voice from on the other end before the officer returned his attention back to them.

"A fellow officer is coming to help me with the prisoner. There's no more you can do here. You can go, we'll take it from here," he told them.

Something nagged at the back of Rogue's mind as she and Wolverine were shooed out of the area but couldn't place it somehow. Without looking back at the scene behind her, she turned to her fellow X-man.

"Let's just go find Hank," she told him.

"I couldn't agree more. By the way, the fur looks good on you."

"Oh shut up."

As the officer watched the two leave, his form began to shift and change into that of blue skin with red hair flowing down her back. Magneto descended behind Mystique and the unconscious Kat. As he looked upon the form of his fallen comrade, a grim stare slide onto his face as he carefully lifted her up with a ball of magnetic energy.

"It's too bad they'll find Mr. McCoy after all. She was indeed having her fun with him and I have to admit, I was enjoying the fiasco while it lasted," he mused. "Now let us leave this place and re-evaluate our plans."

TBC...