Yet another wonderfully written, full bodied chapter. I think you should submit this story to the powers that be over there in Marvel Land. You understand and have such an amazing grasp of all the X-Men inhabitants. And yes, I completely agree about how Marie would still remember fragments of people who used to be in her mind. Your analogy of why is spot on. Great story, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into making this a very thorough and realistic story.

Great work here, interesting how Norbert had taken on its own persona in Rogue's mind as a companion to her imposed captivity. Using Shakespeare to give Norbert a distinctive voice is quite frankly, wanderbar!

Love the interaction with Jubilee, Kitty and Logan. Fantastic story, I really love it! :)

Author's Response: Thank you! I love Kitty, Jubes and Logan together, too. They make me smile.

You had my brain working on this, LOL!

Your crazy Rogue is great - I love how thrown Logan is by her and his growing sense of protection. Xavier is going to have his work cut out for him for sure.

Author's Response: Working in a good way or in a bad one? I\'m hoping the former. Glad you\'re liking her. I think she\'s pretty great too.

I'm here. :)

Your update at least gave me the excuse to re-read your story again, which, I must say, was EXTREMELY enjoyable.

SOrry to hear about life knocking you upside the head - hopefully things are getting better.

As for this story - it's so good, and I have to really commend you for returning to it after all your lows. I loved the interaction with both Pyro and Jubilee, very realistic. You've got me all "thinky", wondering what's going on with Carol...

Author's Response: Yay! Best roll call turn out ever! You re-read the entire thing?! Holy crap! That makes me smile so much my face hurts :D I have to apologize for getting you all \"thinky\". \"Thinky\" is terrible. I promise to balance it out with Wolverine hotness in the near future!

I don't know what to write. Stunned, yes, I am that, but the word doesn't come close to what I feel right now.

Short chapter? Oh, I don't think so. I don't remember ever reading something that took hold of me so emotionally and smacked me around like a rag doll.

You lull us in with the idyllic scene of satiated lovers, give us fair warning with the introduction of the cold calculation of the puppetmaster initiating this nightmare only to whip us unmercifully into this massacre.

The mundane school day turned to a slaughter, the chore of going to the bank transformed into blunt murder, the execution of innocents by the physician that previously lived only to save them, the realization from a good man that things were darker than he could have ever imagined...

I don't know what to think, Ms. Jaq. Only you could make macabre into something so piercingly real and breath-stealing. So very, very well done.

Author's Response: I\'m so relieved ... I wasn\'t sure about the choppiness of it all, whether or not I pulled off the quick swings from one perspective to the next. I wanted that almost surreal feel, that sense of the macabre juxtaposed with the domestic! Thank you, times a million!

Omigod, you just made me laugh SO hard!! This morning when I woke up, I fully intended to ignore my familial duties to read your update, but when the kids were sent off to school with what must have been, the most saddest bunch of lunches yet, I forced myself to go out and buy them some real sustenance!! Then I get to the end of your most EXCELLENT chapter yet, and lo and behind, we are in the same basket LOL!! Thanks for the solidarity comrade, its not just me then! K, now on to my review: Everything, of course, but this is my favourite:
he told himself he was holding on to his fucking sanity, not to her.
I have officially fallen in love with your Logan. Surperb, as always! :)

OMG

I just LOVED this chapter! Jubilee's observations were fantastic, you had me rolling with laughter and yet drooling right along the X-Women (fall back is right LOL!)

In this one Chapter, you have been able to hold true to every character in your story, incredible. Just, incredible. Gambit's confrontation with Rogue was so cutting, I almost fell in love with him (almost - Logan is still number one, but barely :)

So, once again, bravo my dear, I am on the edge of my seat - just what the heck is going on with Jean? Me "lurves" it!

Author's Response: I glad the humour came through, because Jubes is always great for that. And what with all the sex and angst, I felt some comic relief might be useful. A talky chapter helps me move the plot on a bit, which is nice considering I have spent 25,000 words on what - 16 hours? I\'m glad the individual characters are coming across well; I don\'t particularly like cyphers in a story, I want them all to be real people. And with an epic, I have that luxury! And Jean - hmm, I wonder ;)

Woah.

That was almost TOO hot (if there can be such a thing...)

Sexy and heartbreaking - the line Maire keeps wanting to draw between her and Rogue, and Logan's insistance that she accept the Marie in her...just...wow.

Incredible depth here, as is par for the course when it comes to your writing. As for Mystique and Magneto - I can see how it would be possible. To me, Rogue is the most complex character out of all the X-Men and her roots should reflect that.

Trust me, Logan, she prayed. Let me fucking worship you.

***burnt offerings left at the alter of Rogan*** :)