DISCLAIMER: All of the characters (excluding the character of Mama DuBoise) are property of Marvel.

Wanted
by: Psyknife

CHAPTER ONE
She doesn't know why she's here. A few hours ago she was warm and cozy inside
the mansion known as Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters without a care in the
world. Well, there was one care, and that's what brought her here in the first
place. His name is Remy LeBeau, another student at the school. Seeing as how he
has a lot of business of his own he disappears a lot, but this time is
different. She remembers the look in his eyes when he left. Sorrow. He is
usually good at hiding his emotion, he hides them from her all the time, but
something happened. He wouldn't say what the person on the phone told him or
where he was going, but she knew that he couldn't go alone. The X-Men watch out
for each other, right? Then why was he so distant when he left? She took it upon
herself to track him using one of the school's most advanced mutant tracking
device called Cerebro. With the help of teammate, and telepath, Betsy Braddock
she was able to locate Remy's whereabouts. She was worried because she had never
seen that look on his face before. Well, except for when his wife, Bella Donna,
died in his arms. She remembers that vividly because she was there.

She is a strong woman and a gifted mutant who goes by the name, Rogue. Her gifts
allow her to absorb the memories and powers (if they are a mutant) of anyone she
touches with her bare flesh. Some call this a gift, but she considers it a
curse. Because of this "gift" she has never been, and will never be, able to
touch another human being. It pains her to see couples kiss and hold hands, and
the graphic scenes in some movies don't sit too well with her either. Her powers
make it even harder for her now because she happens to be in love with the man
that she is tracking. Another effect of this "gift" is that she nearly killed a
woman by the name of Carol Danvers (AKA Ms. Marvel) because she held on for too
long and permanently absorbed her psyche and her powers. So, Rogue now wields
the ability to fly and she has super human strength. Because of this gift she
dresses very carefully, which mean she usually doesn't allow any skin (other
than her face) to show, for fear that she may accidentally absorb someone's
psyche. After all, she all ready has too many people running around in her head.

She feels kind of foolish dressed so warmly here. Even in November it remains
pretty warm in New Orleans. But no one seems to pay her much attention. She fits
in well with the street mimes, artists, musicians, fortune tellers, and voodoo
priestesses of the area. It's funny how she knows her way around the city
so well. Then again, it's not funny that the reason why is because she retains a
piece of Gambit's psyche. She felt like a fool kissing him like that. Just
because it seemed like the end of the world in that moment didn't mean that it
would be, obviously. Remy was in a coma for weeks while she tried to calm his
thoughts in her head. Even after all she saw from him she can't seem to stop
thinking about him, and worrying about him. His past doesn't bother her, after
all, her past isn't so full of sunshine and lollipops either. All she knows is
that she cares for him more than she has cared for anyone else in her life, and
now she needs to find him.

The moonlight glistens off of the freshly moistened pavement like sparking
diamonds. The air smells of liquor, spices, sewage and rain. Couples walk hand
in hand, taking in all the sites around them in this historic city. Rogue
continues to walk toward where she hears a lot of noise and commotion. She soon
finds herself lost in the bustling energy of Bourbon Street.

The street is filled with drunken men and women, drag queens, hookers, and
people who are looking for action. She tries pushing her way through the crowds,
but that proves to be a difficult task. She can't get two feet without some
drunken pig asking her to lift her shirt for some beads. As many times as she
pushes by and screams "NO", there is another person further down the road that
says the same thing. She is now completely aware of the fact that if you bare
your chest you will get beads as a reward. Some reward. All around her are women
flaunting themselves with a neck weighed down by purple, green, and yellow
beads. Is New Orleans always like this? She thought to only expect this kind of
behavior during Mardi Gras. Guess it's a party that goes on year round. No
wonder Remy likes it here so much.

She is disgusted by the way people are dressed; tight, short skirts, tight tank
tops with no bras, feathered bowas, and even things of a more outrageous nature.
Outside the clubs are pictures of nude women and certain graphic acts that you
will see on stage if you go inside. She begins to feel nauseated. On a balcony
above her she hears a woman screaming. She looks up to see a man and woman
having sex on their balcony, in public! She feels so violated by the types of
people that live here, or at least party here. The crowds of people start to
make her dizzy and she feels as though she will go crazy.

Just then she feels a hand clench her buttocks. She turns to face an older man with a
big bottle of beer and an even bigger grin on his snarly face.
"Hey, Babe," he belches.
"Get yo' hand offa me ya pervert!" Rogue yells as she throws his hand off with
almost too much force. He flies back against the wall of the club they are
standing near and his beer bottle shatters on the ground.
People nearby begin to circle around Rogue and the man, making it look almost as
if they are at a professional wrestling show. They just stand there, booze in
hand, and stare. This makes the man even more anxious and he lunges back at
Rogue while making a beastly grunting noise. She catches his wrist and stops him
dead in his tracks.
"What the..." but before he can finish, Rogue smashes his own fists into his
face.
The crowds roar and, before Rogue can react, a riot begins. People are throwing
punches left and right. Beer bottles are flying through the air, landing on
people's heads or the on ground. You could easily cut your foot on the glass that
is collecting on the ground. Rogue tries to dodge as many people as possible.
Did she start this? No, it was that pig's fault. He shouldn't have grabbed her.
Police sirens begin to get louder and louder, approaching from all angles. There
are already some policeman on foot trying to break things up, apparently they
called for backup.
Rogue panics because she knows that everyone will blame her. Besides, she wasn't
playing along with the Bourbon Street game. She didn't flash people for beads,
so she is the outcast. Of course they will blame her. All of a sudden she feels
a tight grip on her arm. She turns to see a familiar face, unfortunately the
happy glare is returned with anger. Remy LeBeau starts to drag Rogue away from
the scene. She tries to speak, but it is too loud and he is pulling her too
fast.