Lessons Learned

 "Dere's got t' be a law against dis," Gambit muttered, rubbing
the sleep out of his eyes. Psylocke nodded her agreement.
 "Angel, Iceman, Gambit and Psylocke versus Beast, Storm,
Phoenix, Bishop, and Wolverine. Simple hide and seek. Angel and crew
hide. The rest seek. You have one hour to find and hold them." The
battlefield flickered to life.
 "Great. Ruins. Where's a shopping mall when you need one?"
Iceman asked.
 "You get a ten minute head start," Scott informed them.
 //Psylocke, you link. Gambit'll shield?// the Cajun suggested.
 //Agreed.// She established the communications link as they
scattered into the ruins. //Call in.//
 //Here,// Angel answered.
 //Ditto,// Iceman this time.
 //Oui.//
 //All accounted for. Shielding?// Gambit followed her
telepathic trails out and expanded his shields along them.
 //Shields up.// Xavier frowned in the control room and Scott
glanced at him.
 "What's wrong, sir?"
 "I can't sense any of the first team." Scott smiled.
 "Good."
 Xavier was startled. "Explain."
 "They're working as a team, then. Gambit's extending his
shields to encompass the others. That was why we couldn't find Storm
after he'd rescued her from the Shadow King."
 Phoenix established a communications net as the ten minute
light went off. //Problem, people. I can't sense them. We have to do
this the old fashioned way. Bishop, Wolverine, track Gambit. We need
to disable his shielding. Storm, go for Iceman, you should be able to
sense the disturbance of the air around him if he's iced up. Beast, go
high. Find Angel's perch. I'll find Psylocke. We can use that building
as a holding pen.// Her team scattered.
 //Iceman, can y' freeze somet'in' as small as a molecule?//
 //I can try.//
 //Freeze de paths we took den? Real thin so no one notices it?
T' kill de scent.// Iceman took a deep breath and started with his own
trail.
 Wolverine stared after the familiar scent. He stopped
suddenly. "Tricky little bastard," he muttered. He turned in a circle.
//Watch high, Bish.// The large black man nodded.
 I can do this, Phoenix told herself. She closed her eyes and
submerged herself in the astral. Psylocke's usual forms were nowhere
to be seen. Pink mist seemed to cling to her. She ignored it, and its
messages, sure of the trap.
 Angel took a quick look down at the scene. //Ange, go t'
ground. Dey gonna look f' y' t' be perchin',// Gambit urged. Angel
ignored the advice.
 Storm frowned in confusion and took to the air to get a fuller
view. No, she was right. Iceman's powers were scattered all over the
ruins. A think layer of ice glinted off everything she could see.
 Gambit launched himself into the air and landed lightly on the
ground two alleys away from Wolverine. If he could just keep the scent
trails confused, he'd be able to last out the hour. He spied Beast
moving through the ruins towards the highest building. Stupid bird, he
thought to himself. Psylocke chided him with a mental prod. He ran on
silent feet through the streets, keeping to the shadows.
 Beast moved resolutely towards the highest building still
standing. He knew Angel would have hidden himself there. He just had
to hide his approach from Warren's hawk eyes. //Storm, would you be so
kind as to provide some fog for me?//
 //Of course, Beast.// A thick fog rolled through the streets.
Iceman smiled. That would be useful. Beast ducked through the arch of
a broken doorway and quickly started to and up his target's building.
 //Fly, Bird!// Gambit ordered. //M. Bete is comin' up de
buildin'.//
 There was no response. Angel was ignoring the thief.
 //Iceman, can y' use de fog t' slick building?//
 //Oui, oui, M.// Iceman joked. //Just like icing the front
steps.//
 //You boys are enjoying this too much,// Betsy informed them.
Privately, she asked //Gambit, what have you done to Phoenix?//
 //Stuck her in a maze usin' her frustration and arrogance
against her.//
 //Their link is still up, but she doesn't seem to be
reacting.//
 //Don' want t' tip dem off. 'sides, she's probably lookin' f'
y' and dey won' disturb her.// he sense the figure more than saw it
and back-flipped away from Bishop. He swung himself up the metal fire
escape. I'm getting slow. Need to work out more. He moved across the
roof. He figured Wolverine was on the other side of it, waiting for
him. He heard Bishop on the ladder.
 //Stairs or slide?// Iceman asked.
 //Slide is faster.//
 //On your… away form Angel.//
 //Merci.// Gambit jumped off the side of the building. The
slide formed under him, carrying him to Iceman's feet. //Run. Stormy's
flyin'.// Gambit caught Iceman's shoulder in a brief thank you.
 "Time." came Scott's announcement. The training rubble
disappeared. Hank rubbed his posterior as he got to his feet. Storm
alit next to Jean and frowned.
 "Jean?'' She shook the woman's arm. Jean didn't respond.
Xavier reached into her mind.
 //Jean?//
 //Hello, sir.// He looked around her mindscape. They were
surrounded by multi-faceted stained glass windows. There was a door
forming in one of them. //Don't worry. I'll be right out.// She shook
her head at the trap. //Beautiful work.//
 //I'll see you soon.// Jean blinked awake. She smiled at
Gambit.
 //Nice trick.// Remy shrugged and looked away.
 "Review in thirty, people," Scott told them. "Breakfast will
be provided."

 The team watched the first 15 minutes of the session. "Jean,
why split up? And why those assignments?''
 "I figured that Wolverine and Bishop wouldn't get hurt if
Gambit used his charge. And of course, Wolverine's tracking abilities.
Ro for Bobby because she can track his powers. Hank for Warren because
he climbs the fastest. And me for Betsy. We split because they had and
we only had an hour."
 "Why split?" he asked Psylocke.
 "Wolverine's nose," she replied. "Hopefully, at least one of
us could evade capture if we split up."
 "How did you shield the group?" Xavier asked.
 "Gambit?" Psylocke prompted. He glared over his coffee at her.
 "Gambit can shield conversations well enough. Remy just let de
shieldin' follow all of de femme's connections." Gambit shrugged.
Xavier let the subject drop.
 The next fifteen minutes of the tape had a little more action.
"First, Jean, what happened?"
 "I got caught in a shielding trap," she said ruefully. "It was
emotion based. I ended up trapping myself in my own mind."
 "Bobby why did you ice the streets?"
 "To eliminate the scent trails. Or try to at least. Gambit
suggested t."
 "Spread yer scent everywhere, Drake. Couldn't tell one track
from the other."
 "So you used me as camouflage? See if that slide actually
shows up next time, Gumbo."
 "If'n I'd told y' de whole trut' would y' have done it?"
 "No way. I've got enough Logan bruises."
 "Didn' have time t' convince y'." Remy shrugged.
 "Manipulative bastard," Warren muttered.
 "Well, he saved your ass in there," Bobby snapped irritated by
Warren all of a sudden. "I didn't see Hank doing his Kong imitation
until Gambit asked me to slick the building up."
 "Hank was climbing up the building?"
 "We'll get to that in a moment," Scott interrupted. "Storm,
what was the problem with tracking Bobby?"
 'The ice was everywhere, not just in one location and there
was no way to trace it back to him. At least not from the ground."
 "What were you planning, Betsy?"
 "I was going to take out Storm, but only if she were on the
ground."
 "Why only on the ground?"
 "I don't relish the idea of my bed exploding," she said dryly.
"With Jean out of commission, no one could have eased her fall. I did
not want to alert them to the fact that she was non-functional." She
shrugged. "I decided to try my hand at some illusions to distract
Bishop and Wolverine."
 "Isn't that a lot to be doing at once? The net, the trap,
illusions, keeping ahead of your pursuers," Scott asked curiously.
 "You're laboring under a mistaken assumption," Betsy stated.
"It was Gambit's trap, not mine." Time seemed to freeze.
 "Gambit's trap?" Xavier questioned.
 "Yes," Psylocke said calmly. She frowned at the room. "It is
merely an extension of his shielding," she informed them. "I don't see
why you are so surprised. He admitted he was an empath."
 "An empath can mess with your head like that?" Bobby asked,
looking at Remy suspiciously.
 Betsy frowned. "That trap would only work on someone with psi
potentials and only if they were as stubborn as Jean. His shields
reflect back psi probes. The trap was a similar method, only utilizing
emotions. He created the outlines and Jean's mind filled in the rest.
In fact, I think it might need to be tailor made to work?" She glanced
at Gambit who was absorbed in his coffee. She kicked him under the
table.
 "Ouch. What'd I do t' deserve dat?"
 "Tell them how the trap worked."
 "Merde," he sighed. "Well, it's sorta like de end of Man of la
Mancha when dey surround Don Quixote wit' de mirrored shields. All de
energy she put out cemented does shields an' trapped her inside."
 "They *were* pretty though." Jean shrugged. "I got caught
because I didn't listen to the voices in the mist that told me to go
back. I thought *they* were the trap, not the bait."
 "Dat's so not subtle, chere." Remy rolled his eyes at her.
"Not m' style."
 They reviewed the rest of the tape. "Bishop, Logan, how did
you get a tail on Gambit?"
 "Bish recognized the strategy from one of the Witness' lessons
or somethin'. Figured if we got ahead of him, we'd catch 'em. Then,
Warren here, gave us a distraction. Gumbo stopped fer a few t' look at
Worthington's perch. That let us get into position. Didn't figure on
the popsicle givin' him another way down."
 "Why did you stop, Gambit?" Scott asked.
 "T' see where Henri was headin' an' give Bobby a read on it."
Remy shrugged.
 "Why?" Warren asked.
 "Because y' wouldn' leave y'r perch an' Bete was climbin' de
side t' catch y'." Remy scowled. "Watch de damn tape again if'n y'
don' believe m'."
 The rest of the discussion when smoothly and the meeting broke
up around ten.

 Gambit collapsed onto his bed with a groan. His head was
throbbing. All he wanted to do was sleep.

 Jean was trying to show Xavier how the trap worked and got
more and more frustrated when the concepts fled form her grasp.

 Scott confirmed with Kitty that getting the layouts the next
day was no trouble at all.

 Logan tagged Betsy for a sparring session with Warren as
referee.

 Bobby vacuumed the den, dining room, library and parlor before
starting the rest of his chores.

 Hank frowned at the confirmed DNA sequencing.

 Ororo and Bishop discussed the latest remodeling plans.

 All in all it was a typical day. Especially when Juggernaut
pounded on the front door, dressed in a somber blue suit.
 Jean glared at the large mutant. "Go. Away."
 "Phoenix, shame on you. Turning away a guest. I'm just here to
see my brother." He spat the last work out like a curse.
 //Let him in, Jean. Bring him to my office.//
 //Fine.// "Follow me and don't knock anything down. We just
got it fixed up from the last time there was a prank war."
 "Aren't we in a charming mood today, Mrs. Summers."
 "Don't mess with me today." She opened Xavier's door.
 "Fine. Charles and I have some business to take care of. So…"
Jean snorted. She slammed the door behind herself.
 "She's having a bad day," Xavier commented. "Where are the
damn papers? I thought we settled this years ago."
 "So did I."

 Gambit realized he was half-conscious when he opened his eyes
to a room that didn't exist outside of his own mind. He sighed and
went to answer the door.
 //Oui, M. Essex?// he sighed. Sinister clucked at him.
 //Your manners get worse every time I see you, son.//
 //Good day, sir. Would you like to come in, sir?// Remy mocked
the scientist's accent.
 //Why, yes. Thank you.//
 //Do we got t' play de diplomacy game t'day?//
 //You're fatigued.// Sinister frowned. //Very well. There is a
stress fracture beginning to show in your shields. It need immediate
repair. We have other matters to discuss.// Sinister held out a hand
and Gambit took it. They arrived at the cracking shield. It was
bulging out. //What does this sector contain?//
 Remy check the mark on the mirror. //C-2. Bad stuff. Bad
memories.// He shrugged. //Most of dem do, y' know. Lemme go in an'
check.// Gambit slipped behind a solid shield to view the memories.
They were blocked off from view. He returned to Sinister's side.
//Don' know. Can't see de memories. Dey're blocked off.// Sinister
frowned.
 //Will you allow me to erect a temporary wall until this one
is fixed?//
 Gambit didn't like the idea of Sinister creating a wall in his
mind, but he gave in. He hadn't had a problem with any of Sinister's
handiwork yet. Sinister created a wall and aligned it with the shield.
 //Remove the panel. Now.// Gambit did so and Sinister's block
glowed red in its place. Remy summoned the block to the front. The
shield was nearly eaten through.
 //Bon Dieu.// He immediately smoothed it into a uniform plane.
It was so thin that it frightened him. He wove new layers of energy to
line it with, until it was solid once more and fit it into place.
//Dat's de only layer over dis area? Merde. Gotta work on dat.//
 //Yes, you do. The other matters. It is time for your
physical.//
 //Bete just done one.//
 //Did he give you your shots?//
 //Shots?//
 //Tetanus booster. MMMR booster.//
 //Non.//
 //If you haven't received them in two days, I will do it
myself. Do I make myself clear?//
 //When y' want t',// Remy quipped.
 //LeBeau,// Sinister warned.
 //Oui, M. Essex. And de last ding?//
 //Call Crow and Creed.//
 //Oui, M.//
 //Go rest.// Sinister patted the younger man's head as he
would a puppy's.
 //After y' leave.// Sinister chuckled and teleported away.
 "Merde," Remy said opening his eyes.

 "You wanted to see me, Slim?" Warren asked. Scott looked up
from his current report for the professor.
 "Oh, yes. Sit down," Scott waved a hand towards the chairs.
Warren swung one of the armless chairs around and straddled it, his
metal wings glinting in the light.
 "So what's up?"
 "What do you know about PR firms?" Worthington blinked.
 "Well," he said after a pause, "if you have a good one, it can
make all the difference. It depends on what you need to accomplish."
 "Uh," Scott said suddenly uncomfortable. "I've been working on
a campaign and I need some target numbers."
 "Oh, then you need a market research group, not PR."
 "What's the difference?" Warren smiled. Scott had never asked
him something in his field before.

 "What's got ya so tight, Red?" Logan asked kneading her tense
shoulders.
 "I don't know. Yes, I do know. I… I just found out that my
mentor doesn't know everything. I know it's stupid. Professor X is
just a man, but…" Logan's fingers dug into a nasty knot.
 "But what, Darlin'?"
 "He's the most powerful telepath on the planet, but he can't
figure out the trap set by a kid less than half his age." Logan let
that simmer as he stroked down her back.
 "That ain't the problem is it?"
 "He's just a man," she whispered.
 "Not a super-hero, huh?"
 "He's fallible. He's stubborn."
 "He's human?" Jean bit her trembling lip and a tear ran down
her cheek. Logan pulled her up and into his lap.
 "God, Logan, he could die!"
 "He's mortal, Darlin'. He will." She sobbed on his shoulder.

 Hank peered into Gambit's room through the cracked door. The
Cajun was at his writing desk. The doctor knocked on the door. "Oui?
Come in." Remy looked over his shoulder. "M. Bete?" Hank shut the door
behind himself.
 "I wanted to discuss the findings of the genetic tests I ran."
Remy sighed and capped his pen. He turned.
 "Sit down den, Henri." Hank settled on the still faintly warm
bed. Hank took a moment to gather his thoughts. The thief waited
patiently.
 "According to the Shi'ar records you aren't human."
 "Oui, M. Remy, he's a mutant." Hank shook his head.
 "According to the DNA records I found, you're a thoroughbred."
Remy looked at his fingers, then turned to look down his back.
 "Well, I got de mane, but I don' see no tail or hooves."
 "I'm explaining this badly," Hank said ruefully.
 "Oui."
 "When Lilandra gifted us with the advanced medical equipment,
it was already filled with a DNA database. I have been expanding it.
When I ran your sequences through I received and unusual result. For
the first time, the results came back indicating a sequence base that
was not human."
 "Y' sayin' Gambit's a starchild?" Remy frowned.
 "No, my friend, you are from Earth. But your DNA is from a
species that predates humans. I cannot pronounce the Shi'ar word." He
handed Gambit a copy of the results. "You are 1/8 human." The thief's
eyes widened at the sight of the results.
 "M. Bete, Remy, he's got a theory, but he can't tell y' about
it yet. If'n I get y' a blood sample, y' run it wit'out knowin' where
it came from?"
 "Of course. That would be a very good idea actually. It is
possible that there is a lab contaminant, however. I'll run a sample
from Bobby first to evaluate it."
 "Remy'll do dat den. Dere's somet'in' else y' could do f'
moi."
 "Yes, my friend?"
 "Need a couple of booster shots."
 Hank blinked. "Come down to the lab with me and we'll see what
we have."

 Ororo hummed to herself as she watered the plants scattered
through the house. It was a sweet, sad melody. She was surprised when
she heard a voice singing along with the tune. It was a deep,
resonate, baritone. She turned, watering can in hand. "Are those the
words?" she asked. "It's beautiful, Bishop." It was obvious that the
man had been unaware of what he was doing.
 "I didn't mean to disturb you, Storm," he apologized.
 "You are not disturbing me, my friend." She smiled at him. "I
think your voice is exquisite." Bishop blinked.
 "I need to go check the blackbird supplies," he said quickly.
"Excuse me."
 "There is nothing wrong with a compliment, Bishop!" Storm
called out after him.

 Bobby sneezed as the dust bunny under the TV stand attacked
him.
 
 Logan stroked Jean's back firmly, with less comfort in mind
this time. Jean shifted against him, pressing a kiss under his jaw.
She kissed down his neck. Her tongue darted under the collar of his
shirt to lap at the skin there. His arms tightened around her. She
worked her way back up to his mouth.
 She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, then to his cheeks and
forehead. She ran her fingers down his sideburns, loving the feel of
the short hair under her fingertips. She sat between his spread legs
and stroked the body warmed flannel that covered his chest.
 He slid his hands up under the sweatshirt she'd "borrowed"
from Scott's closet years ago. She kissed him. Her tongue darted
between his parted lips. She pressed her tongue to one of his sharp
incisors, whimpering as she purposefully cut it, filling his mouth
with the flavor of his blood. He growled. He loved the taste of her.
He flipped her onto her back and straddled her. His ran his fingers up
under the front of the shirt. He wanted to shred it off of her, but it
was her favorite. He pushed it up and over her head. She tossed it on
the floor, sitting up under him and attacking his flannel shirt as he
ran his fingers along the back of her bra and released her breasts.
She shoved the shirt down his arms and shook off the bra. She shivered
as the calluses of his fingers brushed along her skin, drawing the
blood up to the surface. He kissed her again, forcefully, sucking on
her tongue until she was moaning for more than air.
 She gripped his thighs tightly as he pulled away from the
kiss, with a little tug on her lip. Her fingers cupped his erection
through his jeans and she felt him swell under the caress. She smiled
evilly at him and leaned back to rest on her elbows. She arched her
back. The hollow of her throat called to him and he bent to suck at
it. He gloried in the taste of her and moved down her body, nipping at
her ribs and then sucking at her navel. One hand slid under her back
and held her up to him. He unsheathed the claws of his other hand. He
traced down her sternum and over her breasts with the flat of his
claws. She shivered as the body warmed metal touched her. He carefully
slit the seams on her jeans from her hips to her thighs and folded the
fabric down until he could see the red lace she wore. She smiled and
he slit the silky fabric. He pulled it off slowly. She licked her lips
and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No more condoms," she
whispered. "Just take me, damn it." She felt the rush as her words hit
him. He always loved it when she cursed.
 He growled deep in his throat and kissed her again. He felt
her open his fly without her hands and smiled into her mouth. She
shrugged at his mental classification of her "parlor trick" on his
rating scale. //They can't all be fancy.// She surged into the kiss,
fighting him for ownership of it. With the judicious application of TK
and feminine charms she got him onto his back. He slit open the crotch
of her jeans and she settled on him almost as soon as the fabric
parted. "You feel so fucking good, Wolvie," she purred at him. Her
hair hung wild around her head as he placed her hands on his chest.
She hooked her fingers into the wealth of chest hair there and lifted
herself up once, and then back down onto him. "Fuck me, Logan. Now,"
she ordered and his hips started to move. He caught her wrists as she
arched back and he struck deep in her. She moaned. Her nails bit into
the backs of his hands. "Harder, you bastard." He growled and thrust
hard enough to lift her knees off of the bed. "Yes. More, you fucking
asshole." He moved harder and faster until she was truly riding up and
down on his thrusts. She came, her body clamping around him. He
followed her into her orgasm. She fell across his chest. "Damn that
was good," she murmured in his ear.

 "Scotty? Y' busy?" Remy asked, holding up a beer. Scott
grinned at him.
 "Not for that." He put out a hand and took the offered beer.
He let the thief settle in his lap and went back to printing out
articles for the professor, who still refused to use the computer for
anything other than email or word processing.
 "Y' remember dat lil' talk we ain't never had about secrets?"
 "Yeah." Scott looked up at the younger man, who was carefully
looking anywhere but at Scott, despite the fact that their faces were
mere inches apart.
 "Well, Remy's been imaginin' what dat lecture might sound
like. And he's been dinkin' dat mebbe it's time he tol' y' a few
dings, bein' as y' de leader an' y' should know."
 "And right now you're fairly certain I won't beat you." Remy
snickered. There was an edge of nervousness attached to it though.
Scott tightened his arm around the Cajun's waist briefly. "So what's
up?"
 "He's here."
 "Shit. How do you know?"
 "I've… spoken with him, I suppose you could say." Scott's
brows rose. "What? You didn't think I could go without the accent?
Christ, there's so much. And I don't even know why I started dis. Best
t' move to the couch I think." Scott nodded and they settled on the
couch. "Start wit' M. Essex. He's communicated wit' me twice now. My
shields aren't up to his standards an' he's been making sure they stay
strong. I'm gonna lock de door." Remy stood and locked the office door
carefully. He turned on Scott's work mix as he passed the library.
 "You are paranoid."
 "Non, cher, they're really out t' get me," Remy replied,
taking his seat again. He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped
his arms around them. Scott let his arm lie along the back of the
couch, so that Remy could grab hold of his hand if he thought he
should. "I need y'r word, Scotty. None of dis is for de rest of de
team. Not even Professor X." Scott took a moment to think.
 "You have my word. On Jean's life."
 "Okay. I'll accept that. First, Sinister's here. He's watchin'
me at the very least. Probably you too, but at the moment, he's been
checkin' up on me. It's been a year since I saw him last." Scott
nodded.
 "Fine. We'll tighten security." Gambit laughed bitterly.
 "Ain't a system on de market dat good."
 "Sort of like trying to keep you in after curfew." Gambit
grinned at him briefly.
 "Second, well, dere's somethin' going on with my shields dat
I'm gonna need Jeannie's help with, I think. Den, well, um."
 "Just spit it out. It can't be that bad."
 "I'm de Prince of de Thieves Guild an' I'm gonna have t' take
over when mon pere decides t' step down?" Scott blinked. "Ranked third
in de world. After mon pere an' one other? I speak seven languages
fluently? Just tell me when t' stop."
 "Time out. One thing at a time okay?" Gambit nodded. "First,
is Sinister going to cause trouble?"
 "Non. I don' think he will. He's jus' checkin' up on his
investments."
 "Shields, is this an immediate problem?"
 "Non, they'll hold for a few."
 "Third in the world?"
 "Oui," Remy said as he blushed.
 "Well, fuck me."
 "Just tell m' when."
 "Brat." Remy shrugged. Scott took a long moment to think. "Is
there anything that is immediate?"
 "Non, not dat I can dink of."
 "Then let's make a deal. You just tell me anything you think I
need to know." Gambit looked at him and smiled shyly.
 "Y' mean it?" he asked in relief.
 "Yes." Scott held out his hand. "Your past is your past. But
if you think of it. Tell me *before* it becomes a crisis, okay?"
 Remy snickered. He took the offered hand. "Deal. Y' know I'm
married, right? Y' know she's an assassin?"
 "I've met the woman."
 "Good. Just remindin' y'. She ain't gonna be happy about dis,
I don' dink."
 "Like you've been faithful since you left?"
 "Banished."
 Scott blinked. "Banished?"
 "Oui. Killt Belle's brother an' dey banished m' from Nawlins."
 "Why did you kill him?" Scott asked calmly.
 "Because he challenged m' t' a duel over Belle's honor. He
wanted t' marry her."
 "Okay. Self defense."
 "Oui."
 Scott nodded and gave the younger man's hand a squeeze. "How
are you on internet research?"
 "Fairly good. Why?"
 "I need to find something for Charles."

 Jean blinked awake and stared at the clock. "Oh, shit. We
missed dinner, Logan."
 "So, we can cook."
 "It was my turn to make it."
 "And no one woke ya up." Logan took a deep breath, searching
through the scents still in the air. "Brandy pudding? Someone's
kissin' up. Don't worry, Red. Cajun saved yer ass. Yer gonna owe him
though."