So, anyone want to take a guess on my new big drama? No, no, BESIDES my dog getting killed. Yes, there's ANOTHER one! I told you this story is seriously jinxed.

So the new drama is… my roof is leaking! Not all that big of a deal really, but, add to it that this is a preexisting leak that the previous homeowners supposedly fixed and that it has now caused potentially thousands of dollars in damage, which my homeowner's insurance won't cover and yeah…

My cousin died, I broke my toe, our yard is flooding, my dog got killed, the roof is leaking…

Does anyone have some rope?

Anyhow, as far as story length goes, we're not to the half-way point yet, but we're getting closer. This isn't gong to be a novelette or anything (I hope).

If you'd like to see the dress(es) Rogue is/will be wearing, you can go to my profile page on FFN or if you have a myspace account, it's myspace . com / wiccamage, OR I can email them to you. I've got to say, their pretty freakin' fantastic, and I didn't even draw them (just colored, thank you very much)!

Oh, thank you all for reviewing and for the words of support and encouragement. There are special people I'd like to thank – you know who you are – so thanks.

And to randirogue if you're reading… I hope brain surgery went well and that you are doing better. I guess I should look on the bright side, things could always be worse… I just hope my issues don't escalate to yours. No offense, but damn girl, that just sucks! Here's hoping you get well soon!

P.S. Chapter 9 will come in two versions – one for "M" the other for "T" so be aware!

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Previously on Getting Warmer

…"Trust me, Rogue?"

She swallowed and he could see the doubt and fear in her eyes, but behind it, and perhaps more prominent, was that look same look that had eluded him just minutes ago.

"STOP THEM!!! STOP THEM NOW!!!" Apocalypse screeched as he tried to stand.

Rogue whipped her head to see the guard lumbering toward them and, turning back to Gambit, she nodded with determination.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Bien," he said quickly and, looking down at her one last time, he smiled, "Den we jump!"

He heard Rogue's audible gasp as he tugged her over the edge with him and then they plummeted, hand in hand, toward the dark waters below.

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Rogue's scream caught in her throat as she plummeted toward the black river below.

The height would be dizzying even if her head wasn't already spinning and Rogue found all breath and thought suspended as she fell through the air with Gambit at her side.

They were approaching the river rapidly and she spared a quick glance at her "rescuer" to gauge his reaction.

Gambit's eyes were wide, but his brow was furrowed in concentration. His jaw was set firmly and his lips were pursed in a grim line. He stared intently at the water below, seemingly calculating the distance and force of impact while Rogue tried desperately not to panic.

This was NOT how she envisioned her day.

It wasn't enough that the last few days were full of gaps and holes in her memory, but she had also awoken prematurely from her first restful sleep in a week to find that her powers were gone, her clothes had been replaced with some Egyptian gown, she was covered with gold and jewels, her powers were gone, some ancient bad guy was calling her his Queen, the X-Men were no where in sight, her only hope of rescue was an Acolyte, and, oh yeah, her powers were gone.

And now she was hand in hand with said Acolyte plunging ten stories down into a raging black river of death.

What a great way to start your morning.

She swallowed hard and tried not to scream. Instead she clenched her eyes shut and waited for death to take her as she counted down the seconds before impact.

"Five," she counted silently.

She felt Gambit squeeze her hand and she looked up at him.

"Four."

She knew her face was etched with terror, but right now she could care less. It wasn't like they'd live through this anyhow.

"Three."

She met his gaze and he smiled encouragingly at her. One side of his mouth turned up and his eyes twinkled slightly despite the situation.

"Two."

His grin was contagious and she also found the corners of her mouth turning up.

"One."

Both smiles were destroyed as the speed and force with which the two hit the icy river knocked all breath from Rogue's lungs and tore at her legs, arms and feet. The impact wrenched Gambit's hand from her own and the loss of his touch only fed her growing anxiety.

She felt like every inch of her skin was being jabbed with hot needles then wrapped in ice and the ache in her chest reminded her of being punched by the Juggernaut.

The pain was almost unbearable and she was quickly overwhelmed by the icy sting of the water, the heaviness in her limbs and the crushing need for air.

For a moment she was frozen as the pain in her body brought all of her senses to life yet made her completely useless as she bobbed under the river.

Her lungs began to burn and she knew she had to find air fast. She had to move – had to do something – to get above water as quickly as possible before her lungs gave out and she drowned, but as much as she yelled at herself, she couldn't get her arms and legs to cooperate.

"Move dammit!" she mentally screamed and finally the shock seeped away as pain was replaced with adrenaline and she kicked out against the rapids. Her arms flew into action as she tried to cut through the water, but with each stroke she only gained mere inches. She was being weighed down and didn't have the strength or breath to fight it.

All thought fled from her mind as her body clung to its last second of life.

"Oh mah god," was her only reflection, "ah'm gonna die."

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The ache of the icy water was the first thing that registered in Gambit's adrenaline filled brain; the second was that he was alive and the third – he had lost Rogue.

The cold of the river enveloped him and began to seep into his bones even as he dragged himself to the surface. His dark brown hair was matted to his face and neck, and as he broke through the white caps he tried to swipe the errant locks from his eyes. His clothes stuck to his skin stubbornly, making it difficult to move, and he could feel his coat and boots weigh him down.

"Rogue!" he shouted above the roar of the water.

Gambit searched frantically for the girl, but the surging river and looming waves made visibility nearly impossible. He struggled against the current for a moment longer before his shoulder collided painfully with a partly submerged boulder. He grappled at it fervently, but it was slick with moss and the force of the river tried to tow him under again.

At last he managed to find a hold and dug his fingers into the crevice. He grabbed on to the side of the boulder, but the water whipped around him and nearly dislodged him.

"ROGUE!" he cried out a second time as he frantically searched the rapids for the girl. Another wave of water washed over him and he choked as he nearly slipped from the rock again as it sloshed over his head.

Coughing and sputtering, he had scarcely caught his breath when he felt another surge of water and his hand finally slid from the boulder.

As he righted himself and swam up for more air, a glint of metal in the dark, muddy depths of the river caught his eye. He could barely make out the source, but he could see the black silhouette of a body bobbing along near the bottom and he kicked to the surface for a quick breath before diving down once again.

He squinted as he swam swiftly toward the darkened figure; it was quite a distance, but thankfully he was assisted by the swift water. As he approached, he could make out more gleaming gold and could just discern a pair of arms and legs thrashing wildly for a moment before finally going still.

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Rogue flailed desperately as the last ounce of breath and strength left her body. Her vision, already blurry from the muddy water, began to swirl and darken rapidly. She was no longer conscious of up or down and just as she was ready to give up and resign herself to death, a hand clamped down on upper arm and spun her around in the water.

She felt firm, soft lips crashing against her own as they melded to her mouth. Her eyes, still bleary and spinning, rested on Gambit's red and black ones and, for a mere instant, she forgot that she was drowning.

Gambit reached his hand up to her face gently with his fingers on one cheek and his thumb resting on the other side of her chin. Rogue's eyes fluttered and began to close when he suddenly wrenched her jaw down and exhaled forcefully into her mouth.

Her lungs filled with borrowed air, her eyes opened again heavily and she stared at him in shock and confusion as he wrapped his arms around her in an awkward hug and pulled at the back of her neck.

Within seconds, something snapped and fell away and Rogue felt the weight on her body go with it. Grabbing her hand again, Gambit pulled Rogue alongside him and began kicking toward the surface.

They broke through the crest of the rapids coughing violently as they were pulled farther down the river together. Gambit hauled Rogue in front of him and wrapped his left arm around her waist with his hand locked over her right shoulder. He would have more difficulty swimming like this, but at least he could keep her from drowning.

Rogue fought to keep her eyes open and help Gambit swim to shore, but she was completely drained of energy. She'd had very little of it prior to their 100 foot plunge into the angry black river and that was before she'd come within seconds of dieing.

She felt exhaustion overtake her senses as the world began to slow and dim around her. The cold of the water lessened and she could no longer feel the biting sting on her flesh. Her bones felt laced with adamantium, but her head was light and airy as her eyes slipped shut again and she passed out amidst the threat of imminent death.

"Merde," Gambit cursed aloud when he felt Rogue's body go limp and tried to drag them both toward the shore. Eventually the current won out though and the red eyed Cajun had to simply ride the waves with Rogue cradled in his lap. Taking a look back over his shoulder, he smirked to see the mountain with a large hole blasted in the side begin to shrink away as the river carried them farther down and away from Apocalypse.

Gambit relaxed slightly as he watched the trees whisk by. It was easy enough to dodge the upcoming boulders, he simply had to stay above water and find a safer current that would guide them away.

It became a game of sorts to him. He would spy a large ominous rock in their path and would maneuver himself slightly to avoid it. As he skirted by the jagged stones, he would try to push off with his feet to move them closer to the shore.

The river was at least forty feet wide and, as they were, the rapids were actually much easier to manage when floating along with them instead of fighting against them. And truth be told, as long as they were getting farther away from Apocalypse and he could still feel Rogue's chest rise and fall against his arm, he really didn't care about a little water.

What's that saying about famous last words…?

As Gambit darted among the rocks and waves, he began to feel as if they were moving more rapidly downstream and the rapids seemed a bit harder to fight. The boulders were more infrequent, but they were also approaching more rapidly.

Using his free hand, Gambit was now barely keeping their heads above water as the current carried them faster and faster. His moment of ease vanished as the escalating rush of the river invaded his ears.

Scanning the horizon, he quickly confirmed his suspicions.

Fifty yards ahead, he could see the mist from the water rising into the heat of the midday sky. The sun was high and bright as it beamed down at them from directly overhead and created a maddening glare on the black, churning water. Squinting against the waves and the shine of the sun, Gambit was just barely able to make out the line of the horizon from beyond the mist.

The trees stopped at the same point from where the mist stemmed and the Cajun swallowed hard as his grip on Rogue's unconscious form tightened.

With all the strength he had left in his body, he attempted to reach the shore before they were pulled over the waterfall ahead. His legs and right arm worked furiously to bridge the mere 15 feet between them and the shore line, but he was only able to just creep along as he tried to fight the rapids and simultaneously avoid smashing into the rocks.

Gambit glanced at the shore again – 10 feet. Just 10 feet and he'd be safe on land, but Rogue's unconscious form was weighing him down and he instinctively knew he'd never make it as long as he held on to her.

For a brief, dark moment, he considered just letting her slip from his grasp. He reasoned that she would die peacefully in her sleep and wouldn't have to go through the hell she'd endure if Apocalypse found her.

No one would ever have to know… Once he returned to New York, he would explain that he had tried his hardest to save her and had failed. No one would know except himself and God.

And truthfully, it wasn't like he was going to heaven after all. Not after everything he'd done in his short 20 years. He wasn't afraid of death or hell, but that didn't mean he wanted to die.

Another 20 yards, though, and he would get to see first hand just how bad hell could be.

He swallowed again and his grip on Rogue loosened slightly.

His eyes darted toward the shore again. They were moving away from it now – he wouldn't make it if he didn't act soon.

But he was torn…

"What d'ya do Lebeau," he questioned himself, "do ya let d' girl die and save y'r own skin, or see how good y'r luck really is?"

Gambit had played many dangerous hands in his life – too many, in fact – but this one was out of his control. He didn't know what dangers lay at the bottom of the waterfall; he couldn't tell if there would be jagged rocks that would break his bones into a thousand pieces and leave him a big bloody piece of fish food.

He wasn't afraid of dying though – he wasn't.

Was he?

He swallowed the lump in his throat for a third time and his hand slipped from Rogue's shoulder.

Without the support, Rogue's body shifted and began to drift away from him slightly as they were both carried closer to the edge. Gambit's hand still grasped her waist loosely, but it was only enough to keep her buoyant for a moment longer.

Her head lolled toward him and he inhaled sharply. Her face was free of the hideous makeup – gone was the heavy black eyeliner and eye shadow. Her lips held only a hint of purple now and he couldn't tell if it was from the lipstick or the cold.

The dark circles under her eyes remained, but without all the other garbage, he was struck by how young and pretty she was. She had the potential to be stunningly beautiful, and she hadn't even grown into herself yet. She hadn't the chance to get comfortable with who she really was under all the dark makeup and clothes.

She probably didn't even know who she really was and if she did, she was probably just as scared of herself as she was of Apocalypse.

Gambit glanced ahead to the edge of the waterfall. 10 yards.

"Make up y'r mind, mon amie," (my friend) he chided silently.

He looked down at Rogue's face again – her nose was just about to go under. Another inch and she'd inhale the water and drown quietly without ever knowing what transpired.

But he'd know. And if he lived, it would haunt him forever.

Just like all the others.

Steeling himself and shaking out his dismal thoughts of betrayal and death, he tightened his grip around Rogue's waist and hauled her back to him.

"We in dis t'gether now cherie – vive ou morte (live or die)," he stated as he wrapped his other arm under her chin and repositioned them to fall feet first into the unknown.

As they came to the crest of the waterfall, Remy looked down to see just what they were in for and managed only a word and a half before they were engulfed.

"OH SH---!"

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"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Professor Charles Xavier screamed in agony as he ripped Cerebro from head.

His brow was drenched with sweat and his face – from his neck to his glistening brow – was flushed and clammy.

"Charles, Charles!" Eric Lensherr, otherwise known as Magneto, fell to his knees beside his oldest friend and nemesis.

"Charles! Speak to me!" Eric placed his hands comfortingly on Xavier's shoulders as the man trembled and buried his head in his hands.

"No," he pleaded quietly, "it can't be, Eric, it can't."

"What Charles? What can't be? What IS IT?!" Eric shook his friend's shoulders gently as he tried to make sense of the incoherent ramblings.

"That's just what I was going to ask myself, bub," Wolverine snarled from inside the doorway. His uniform was torn and bloody, but the holes and gashes throughout his body were slowly closing up.

Sabertooth was in a similar state as he came limping from behind. They had been duking it out in the Danger Room when the power surged throughout the building.

"I'd suggest you step away from the Professor right now before I turn you into a tin can, metal head," Wolverine threatened as Eric turned back to Xavier.

"I'd like to see you try Wolverine," Magneto countered as he clenched his fist and Wolverine suddenly went rigid.

"Oh yeah, try that with me!" Cyclops yelled as he came running down the hall and shot at Magneto. The beam connected and the Master of Magnetism was knocked to the floor.

Sabertooth in turn wheeled on the team leader and backhanded the young man. The blow was hard enough to launch Scott into the air, but he was caught by Jean and placed gently on the ground again.

Holding his midsection with one hand and his visor with the other, he made to shoot Sabertooth, but Wolverine got to it first and pounced on the yellow-furred mutant.

Just then, more students came rushing down the hall and, seeing the two sides facing off, they immediately jumped on their nearest opponent.

The sudden onslaught of a dozen or more powers being fired at once made the entire basement vibrate and groan as the shouts and curses rose to a near deafening level.

"Please," a small, almost broken voice begged amid the ruckus, "please, all of you; stop this."

It was enough to make all those with enhanced hearing halt mid-blow and in turn, all of the others ceased fighting as well.

"Please," Xavier implored again as he hid his face in his hands, "stop fighting."

He was slouched over with his shoulders sagging and his elbows resting in his lap. He continued to shake his head as the pink flush faded from his cheeks and was replaced with a more sallow shade.

"Professor, what is wrong?" Ororo pushed her way past the crowd of students, X-Men, Brotherhood and Acolytes and kneeled in front of his wheelchair.

Eric stood behind him and Wolverine crept forward with one eye on Magento and one on Xavier. The Professor's obvious turmoil created a tense, anxious mood in the room that hung over everyone like a fog.

No one moved and a few hardly dared to breathe as they waited for the Professor to speak.

Finally, with her chin quivering and her hands shaking, Jean stepped forward and knelt by the Professor's side. She placed her trembling fingers on his left leg and peered up at him through tear-filled eyes.

"Pro-Professor," she asked, her voice cracking, "I – I think I felt it too. Is – is it Ro-Rogue?" She was openly crying now as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

At the mention of Rogue's name, a collective yet quiet gasp was heard from two dozen or so of the room's occupants as a heavy chill descended on them.

Scott, Kitty and Kurt stepped forward apprehensively. Tears filled Kitty's eyes as she cradled her hands to her chest and bit her lip.

Kurt held is breath anxiously while his tail flicked about subconsciously and Scott stood at Jean's side with his hand on her shoulder. His face was etched in a deep frown as he awaited the news.

"Chuck?" Wolverine whispered - his face impassive save for the concern and fear in his eyes.

Xavier nodded silently in confirmation as he slowly brought his hands down. Fresh and dried tears alike stained his old and weathered face and he turned his head slowly to face his children.

He could hardly bare the desperation and sadness in their eyes and he was forced to wall off their emotions so they wouldn't overwhelm his psyche.

He swallowed a lump and opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable.

"Chuck, for the love of God, tell us already!" Wolverine growled as he clenched his fists.

"Rogue, she –" he started and brought a hand to his mouth. More tears filled his eyes and he stared down at the floor, unable to meet their gazes.

"She is – dead."

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Whew! Well, another chapter done. Sorry this one took so long, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We finally got the roof fixed for much less than we anticipated, but it still caused a crazy amount of damage in our kitchen. I'm not really sure when we'll get that fixed.

We also might be taking the previous sellers to small claims court for lying on their contract/disclosures. First, they told us that they had a contractor repair the roof when it was actually an uncertified neighbor and second, they never told us about the flooding problem on the side of the house. We spent 8 hours shoveling water out of our yard Saturday in the pouring rain. Nate and I each went through three sets of clothes and two coats. I'm amazed we don't have pneumonia.

Bright side though, my husband bought me a new puppy, Sophie – also a sheltie. She's not nearly as cute as my Faye, but she helps take my mind off it. Sophie learned to "go potty" outside pretty fast, but she's still pretty slow with everything else. Oh well, she'll learn I guess.

NEW POLL: On which day of the week do you like to read your fanfiction? Please pick one day, Monday through Friday, when you think I should update this story to get the maximum exposure. It seems to me that I get more reviews when I post closer to the weekend, otherwise, the updates just seem to get lost. So let me know when you think I should post.

P.S. Chapter 9 will come in two versions – one for "M" the other for "T" so be aware!

Also – Let's try for 21 reviews guys! I won't hold the story hostage, but it will certainly motivate me to write faster! ;)

Love and light,

Wiccamage