The large weight that had been ever present for the last month was finally lifted from his chest. He felt like he could breathe again, as he saw those eyes, those green eyes full of fire and anger.

He knew without using his powers that it was her. There was no trace of Bastion in her biomatrix. But there was something….different. He could feel it. He knew what her magnetic signature felt like, had memorized it over and over. It was as if it was clearer, sharper.

There were gasps of relief as the others figured out what he had. Jean could sense it was only Rogue's mind present, and there was cheers and sighs of relief, especially from his children and Nightcrawler.

She glanced in the direction of the X-Men, faces of her family and friends relieved that she was alive.

Her eyes locked with a man dressed all in white, the blue eyes she knew well telling her all she needed to know.

He's okay.

She turned her attention back to the threat at hand.

"What is the meaning of your hostility, Rogue?" Apocalypse asked. "Surely I thought you would be greeting me with open arms."

"As if. Not when you've been enslavin' my friends and destroyin' my planet." She retorted. "You thought ah would be happy about that?"

"It is difficult to tell just what would make you happy, as that….thing on your head is keeping me out."

She raised a brow, and smirked a little as he took issue with Magneto's helmet that she wore.

He can't read my mind. Good.

"Let's just say ah'm about fed up with telepaths lately."

Magneto tried to hide a small smirk but failed miserably.

"As for what will make me happy….simple. Leave. Leave my people alone, and go away, En Sabah Nur. Ah suggest you do so willingly." She commanded.

Apocalypse raised a brow in surprise. "Surely you will reconsider. I offer you everything, to be my equal, my Queen as we rule this planet together!"

"Hate to break it to ya, big boy, but ah'm already a Queen. And ah would rather defend my people until my dyin' breath than team up with you."

Magneto could feel his chest swell with pride at her words.

Apocalypse wore a sinister grin. "Choose your words wisely, Rogue. I may just take you up on that threat."

She narrowed her eyes. "Bring it on then."

He chuckled. "But you will not fight me with your dying breath. I still have one final Horseman left, and he is dying for a chance."

Those words made her freeze as another figure stepped forward, a figure that made her blood run cold.

There were gasps of horror from the X-Men as Gambit, now the Horseman of Death, stepped forward.

"You coward." She scolded Apocalypse. "You're really gonna use a dead man to fight your battles?"

"There lies the beauty of it. How far are you willing to go to save your planet, Rogue? Will you put him out of his misery and kill him? Or will you show mercy, allow him to live….and join me."

She was faced with an impossible choice. Apocalypse knew that, and he was counting on her letting him live. She looked into the eyes of the man who had once been her teammate, and there was nothing there. It was a body with no soul.

Is it really him, or is it just his body? Ah can't tell.

"Rogue!" Storm called to her, and her attention was drawn to her teammate. "Please…be careful. It might be a trap!"

"Ain't no might about it, girl." She called back. She turned back to face Gambit, and his eyes found hers…

….suddenly, it was like he came alive as he saw her.

"...chere?" His faint voice spoke.

Oh God. It's him!

She could hear the cries of her teammates as they heard him speak, knowing that she would have to make the impossible decision: let Remy live, or be forced to kill him.

"Remy….listen to me, alright? It's gonna be alright…"

She started to move closer, and suddenly, he grew angry as he realized what she was wearing on her head to keep Apocalypse out of her head.

"Magneto…" He growled, before launching three cards at her, sending the first attack.

She managed to dodge it, the three cards landing on the ground and exploding.

"Remy, stop! Don't!" She tried to reason with him, but it was no use.

She happened to glance at where the X-Men stood, and could see some sort of force field was holding them back, much as they tried to fight. She saw Magneto, the determination on his face as he tried to get through.

Apocalypse is keepin' them out of the fight.

She barely dodged another card, and was weaving through the air trying to stay out of their path.

"Remy! Listen to me! Stop!"

One of the exploding cards sent a rock flying towards her, and it knocked into Magneto's helmet, forcefully removing it from her head as she fell to the ground, landing in a heap. The helmet bounced before landing on the ground next to her.

"Rogue!" She could hear Magneto bellowing, trying to get through the force field.

She managed to pull herself up, standing as she faced Gambit, her hair still tied back.

Gambit's eyes widened, as if he just realized who he was fighting. "Chere?"

"Remy…." She held up her hands. "Please…."

His eyes glanced at the helmet on the ground, and they narrowed as he looked at her.

"You chose him."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"The night of the attack. You chose him. I saw you."

"Remy, please-"

"Admit it!"

"Ah didn't choose him! Ah didn't choose either of you. Ah couldn't."

There was silence.

"There are things that you don't understand, Remy. Things that took me way too long to understand. That night….ah wasn't in a place to make that choice. Not with a clear head. The choice ah made then….it wouldn't be worth nothin'." She was slowly making her way towards him, hoping he would listen to what she had to say.

"You never should have been on Genosha, Remy. What happened to you was my fault."

She could hear Jean's voice in her head.

What's your plan here?

Just give me time, Jean.

"I wouldn't be dead if you hadn't gone. Why did you go?" He demanded.

"You know why ah went."

"If it had been anyone else askin', you wouldn't have gone."

"Remy…."

"You couldn't tell me the truth?!"
"Ah told you the truth, Remy. Just not all of it."

"Yeah? What part of it did you leave out?"

"...the part where ah could have never given you my heart."

He stopped. "And why is that."

"Because….ah gave my heart away a long time ago….and ah never got it back." She could feel the tears slipping down her face, knowing that he needed the truth, needed closure.

His face changed, seeing her tears, and she could see bits and pieces of the Remy she had known, the teammate that she had cared for.

Her tears fell even more, and she watched as he slowly moved closer.

"Ah'm so sorry, Remy….it's my fault. You died because of me…."

"You know damn well that ain't true, chere." He murmured. "I died because of that damn Sentinel, not you." His eyes were clear. "Answer me one thing."

"Anythin'."

"Do you love him?" He asked earnestly.

She smiled a little. "With my whole heart."

The saddest of smiles came over him. "Then you gotta do what you gotta do, chere. Don't worry about me none, you hear?"

"Remy….ah'm so sorry." She whispered.

"For what?"

"For….everythin'."

"Just promise me you'll get this bastard."

"You got my word."

He smirked. "Then it's time, chere."

"Remy, ah can't….not again." She shook her head as the tears ran down her face.

"I know. Which is why I won't make ya." He reached up to touch the device at the base of his neck. "Goodbye, chere."

"NOOO!" Apocalypse realized what was going on just before Gambit released a card to the back of his neck, causing the device to explode, therefore cutting off the one thing keeping him alive. He crumpled as the life left his eyes once more, and Rogue caught his lifeless body, holding him in her arms once more as he died.