And now, another long awaited chapter. When I say I suck in these things its not because of the quality of my work, its because I take so damn long to do it. I suck for that little itty bitty fact. Okay here we go, insert disclaimer, please r/r and enjoy!

Chapter 18: S'échapper De la Réalité

Deep, dark, lengthy expanses of nothingness that surrounds the shattered soul of life. Pretty things don't exist when everything becomes so ugly, when the world decides you aren't fit to live happily. Pretty things don't exist at all…But in the darkness, the abyss of dead space, one is freed from this fact. There are no worries, or remorse, or tears, no not here…There aren't even nightmares anymore. This is the type of unconsciousness when you don't have enough in your heart to dream. The pictures would be surreal like a Dali painting, melted, obscure…Its all obscure anyway.

In this darkness comes a spark, a single glimpse of light for just one moment. Everything around this thing is illuminated for a split second…It's a white room…Was it a room? Couldn't it just be blankness surrounding her? There in the spark is a figure, a shadowed being that breathed unkind air. A woman. A familiar woman at that, she had seen her recently but her memory wasn't letting her place the silhouette.

She felt helpless now, moreso than before, and scared at that. It was as she were a child again, lost in a sea of people. Only, there were no people, not in this place, not in this cut out portion of universe. It was not fit for anything to reside. This was the kind of place a thing, a horrible thing, went to die. When the blood leaks out like crimson rain and the ache of wounds goes numb. This is where the dying monsters go in their last moments. They go nowhere and everywhere.

"Little girl, where are you?" the woman called out. She couldn't bring herself to respond.

The clicking of heels echoed in the lightless area. The woman was walking, looking for her, but how could she see in here?

"I know you're scared," the woman began almost motherly; "I know you're confused, but I can help you. My lost little friend let me help you, this isn't a place for children, this isn't a place for anyone. Help me help you find the light."

Still she didn't respond, she was too torn. With all her heart she wanted to get out, to find this "light" and be free once again. Everything was so confusing, so fuzzy and morphed.

"Just make a sound my dear little girl," the words rolled off her tongue like liquid, "my dear little Rogue."

She inhaled sharply, it was a sound wasn't it? Although, she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to make it and immediately regretted it. There was something wrong, something utterly dark even in this pitch black place. She had made a fatal mistake.

Suddenly lights went on from nowhere, lights brighter than any she had ever seen. Rogue had been right, they weren't in a white room, they were simply floating in a white oblivion, and there she stood. The blonde haired woman who looked so familiar. Where did she know this person from? It was right there, right in her memory so close in reach and yet her fingers could only brush its surface.

The woman began to walk briskly over to Rogue.

"There now, that wasn't too difficult was it?" her voice had changed it was…Cold, icy cold. Suddenly she was very close to Rogue's face.

"I can see you little girl," it was poison, it was…it was venom…Hate spilling from her mouth and the words crawling over her skin like a hoard of ants, engulfing her, suffocating her, eating her from the inside out with absolutely no regard.

She screamed. She closed her eyes and tried to make it go away. Wouldn't you?

Hands flew over her mouth, muffling the sounds of terror and anguish. Rogue opened her eyes…She wasn't there anymore, the lady wasn't there anymore. It was still dark, but not nearly as it had been…She was in the mansion…

She flailed in blind panic against this person holding onto her, not wanting to fall back into the horrors she once was. All she knew was that lately people had been torturing her. Everyone she came in contact with was killing her, piece by piece and she couldn't take it anymore. Make is stop, she wants it to stop for the love of god.

"Shh!" the person wrapped his free arm around her, trying to calm her down. "Chere, it's me, it's Remy! Calm down."

For a moment it didn't process, everything was coming to her delayed in a way. When this finally did register she barely believed it. She had to turn around and see his face, touch him, anything just to know he was there.

"Is it…Is it really you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"It's gonna take more den a little brute force to stop Remy," he gave her his crooked little smile. Tears immediately came to her eyes.

"They…They told me you were dead!"

"Nah, alive and kickin' master of escape Remy LeBeau," his gaze shifted around their surroundings. "Bad things are happening here Chere."

"Oh my god," she suddenly understood what had happened, what she had seen. It wasn't a dream or anything, it was her mind and that woman was the same one who had…Oh god, she knew where they were. "Remy we gotta get out of here, that woman she…She knows where we are, she could see us she, she—"

"Woah calm down, don't worry bout dat, Remy got it covered."

"How?"

There was a moment of silence where only Remy's smile filled the void. She was so confused, what the hell was happening!

"By staying in one place long enough for me to find you," came a voice from behind them. It was them, the woman and the other goons, standing there looking triumphant.

Remy got up, shaking the clinging Rogue from him and slipped an arm around the woman's waist.

"Told you she'd fall for it," he said humorously into her ear, teasingly near her neck.

"Good boy," she turned her head and met him for a kiss, all the while the woman was looking at Rogue. She was devastated, had this all been some elaborate trick? Was she so stupid to fall into this trap? HIS trap? He made her fall in love with him just too…Just to use her…

"Did you really tink Gambit liked you Chere?" he laughed viciously, no longer carrying his cheerful mannerisms, but a rather dark and mirthless quality.

"You've killed me," she said quietly, defeated. "You've broken me completely," the evil ones just smiled.

"That was the intention," the woman said.

"Just remember what happened to the Ancient Mariner," Rogue had slipped off now, gazing past these people, to words that just came to her, "He killed the albatross…Something innocent…And everyone around him died and he was launched into hell on earth…Life in Death will have your souls…"

The woman looked disarmed by this statement, as if something were wrong. Come to think of it, they all appeared this way, confused and alarmed.

"What are you talking about?" the woman questioned.

"I don't know," she replied a little bit confused, "Its not me…" it was then that realization dawned on her. "This isn't real…None of it is real!"

The woman gave a frustrated, saddened sigh and everything began to melt…The people, the place, everything, and then new surroundings came up. It was as if someone were painting it; first came the tight four walls, then a chair was put under her…A door…A light…Little details. She was back in the room those damn people through her in after their experiment. She was tied up, unable to move, stuck once more.

"Is this real?" She asked out loud. "Is this real!"

She remembered seeing Gambit's figure after her ordeal with Kitty. "Was that made up to!"

Nothing made sense anymore. When you're reality gets tampered with too often you begin to lose a sense of what is actually there, real, concrete. It may as well be all lies.

"Let me out!" she screamed and the ropes tying her hands disappeared. Rogue stood up, not feeling weak or unsteady, no, she felt different now; she felt powerful.

"Let me out!" she screamed again, her voice made the whole room ripple. "Stop messing with my head and let me out RIGHT NOW!" This time the ripple caused everything to shatter and she was now floating…Floating among shattered pieces of the room, like glass that held pictures of where she just was.

Rogue felt herself land and she opened her eyes to find a very similar environment. She was back in the mansion, it was dark, much like it had been before.

"Welcome back Chere," there he was again, in all of his glory…Only he wasn't perfect like he was before, he looked tired…Hurt almost.

"Remy? Is it really you this time," she knew it was…She had memories of it…Wait, that didn't make sense…Unless—"You touched me without the ring?"

"Remy did what he thought he 'ad to…I was afraid dat you wouldn't make it…"

She grabbed hold of his neck and pulled him into a fierce embrace, overcome with happiness just knowing he was alright, that he wasn't dead and that this truly was real…Wasn't it? It had to be…

"How touching," it was that damn woman again, who the hell was she? This was getting pretty annoying. Her friends were there too looking rather upset with what was happening.

"Remy," she whispered "Can you stand?"

"Didn't give you dat much Chere," he smirk and stood with her.

"Do you really think the two of you can take on all of us, not including the whole X-men team just ready to do our will?" she questioned rather curiously.

"Nah," Remy started, "It's a big place, could take weeks to find us in here."

He shot a inconspicuous look at Rogue, as if trying to tell her something, but she just didn't understand.

"Oh really?" blondie asked. "And how do you purpose to escape your current circumstance."

"Well, Remy always got a ace in da pocket."

Rogue immediately understood and reached her hand down into his pocket, trying to keep her eyes on the group in front of them, praying they didn't notice.

"You mean up your sleeve?" One of the men corrected.

"Is dat right? Remy was never good wit all de expressions," a smile again graced his features, "but dis time he tinks dat its in his pocket."

"With that Rogue quickly charged a card and threw it at their enemies. The cards had been in his pocket and thanks to his little gift to her (energy and powers) she was able to pull a Gambit. This was mostly to blink them long enough to make some sort of escape.

Remy led Rogue into the library, which was a dead end so she was somewhat in another panic.

"Remy, they're gonna find us!"

"Calm down petit, Remmy got a plan," he looked at the bookcase behind him, searching for something in particular.

"Remy!"

"Here it is!" he pulled out a book by Coleridge and a passage opened up with it.

"How did you know about that?" she questioned in disbelief, she didn't even know about that.

"Dey don't call me Gambit for nothing," he grabbed her hand and let her into the passageway, closing the case behind them.

It was a narrow hall lit by torches, however cliché that was. After about ten minutes of running up and down and left and right, Remy stopped.

"We rest here," he sat down and leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

"You saved me," Rogue said with a little grin as she sat across from him.

"Remy just be makin' a habit of it isn't it?" he reached into his other pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He drew a cigarette to his lips a lit it.

"Think I can bum one?"

"You a smoker Chere?" he asked skeptically.

"Not until I absorbed you Cajun," she reached over and grabbed one. She place it to her own lips and he leaned over, very close and lit it for her.

"Feeling better?" he asked softly with concern.

"Physically yeah I guess…What happened to you? They told me you were dead…"

"Well, dat crazy woman knocked me out and your friends stuck me in dis tiny little room. As if any room in dis place could hold me," he gave a little dismissive gesture.

"How'd you find me?"

"Followed what I felt," he said simply.

"And what does that mean?"

"Aw come on Chere, can't give up all of Gambit's secrets, you'd get tired of me," he took another drag of his cigarette.

"I doubt that," she followed suite but then stopped in contemplation, "won't they be able to find us from the smoke?"

"Now I doubt that dis place is secure, meant fo' living if needed. Suppose to be perfectly secure, sound proof, bullet proof" indicating to the cigarette, "smoke proof."

"You know too much about this place."

"I'm de enemy oui? Remy knows his enemies inside out, it comes in handy once in a while."

"Oh…Remy, while I was out did you say something about an albatross or something?"

"You heard dat?" he cocked his head and she nodded.

There was a moment of tired silence before Roague scooted over to his side and he put his arm around her.

"We should get movin again."

"Juste un petit plus long…"

"Pour toi? N'importe quoi…"

("Just a little while longer.")

("For you? Anything.")

Authors note: Hmm now how can we be sure this is real? Oh I love to mess with people's minds that's no question, oh and excuse my awful French, I no longer take it in school :)