X-Book 1: New Allies New Enemies - Chapter 17 - Sneaking In



Rating: PG-13



By: Kath713/Leen713



Summary: (See Book 1: Prologue)



Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with characters from the Marvel

universe or any previously published work.



***



Chapter Seventeen:



The students at Xavier's School for the Gifted were piled on the

floor in the common room, some still watching the movie, but most

were sleeping.  One by one, Rogue and Kurt started taking the

younger ones to their rooms and Bobby headed downstairs to double

check all the security monitors.  He was not sure how late the

Professor and the others would be back, so he made sure everything

was locked down tight.



As he reached the front hall, he heard someone swear as they kicked

an end table near the stairs.  Bobby frowned and turned on a nearby

lamp.



"Merci beaucoup, mon ami," Remy said, rubbing his knee with a

grimace, "Trying to sneak in after hours is not so easy…"



"Most students aren't out this late," Bobby said with a

frown.



"Vrai, mais…wait, did you say most?" Remy replied,

grinning wickedly, "Taken a few late night runs yourself, no?"



"No…" Bobby said sternly, and then glanced around with

amusement and added, "Well…yeah, but not this late…"



Remy looked at his watch and frowned unhappily.



"Eleven o'clock?" he said, then sighed and sat on the

first stair, "Back home that was barely breakfast time for

me…"



Bobby chuckled, "Yeah, well…lunch is in twelve hours, so you

I think you still have some time…"



His words were cut off as a loud rumbling began to approach the

mansion.  Bobby glanced out one window and looked at the sky,

expecting to see the jet hovering to land.  However, when he saw a

single headlight coming up the long driveway, he knew who the late

arrival was.



Before he could call her, Rogue was at the top of the staircase,

smiling widely at the growing sound.  Bobby headed toward her and

Remy stood up between them, looking very confused.



"What's that…" Remy muttered, "A tank?"



Rogue laughed, and stood on the step above him.  Remy turned and

looked up at her.  For a moment, when she laughed, the burden he saw

in her eyes faded and he thought she looked very young…and very

beautiful.



"I'll go unlock the door…" Bobby said, with much less

enthusiasm than Rogue had.



Remy turned to face her again, still blocking the path between Rogue

and the front hall.



"So, are we at war, what?" he asked, quietly relieved when

the rumbling stopped, "Is that the jet?"



Rogue looked down at him with annoyance, "No, not the

jet…just a friend…"



She tried to walk past him and Remy took a smooth step in her way.



"Friend?" he asked and then motioned to her teasingly,

"I'm never this excited to see just a friend…"



Rogue sighed with annoyance, "Surely they're never as excited

to see you either…excuse me…"



"It's just…" he replied, moving smoothly back as she

tried to get past him again, "…all these new people…I think

we need introductions…especially if this person is so important

to you, belle chere."



Rogue rolled her eyes, "I'm sure the Professor will introduce

you…"



Remy shook his head and gave her a flirtatious grin, "No, chere,

no.  That is so formal.  I think it would be very gracious for you

to host while the Professor is gone, no?  So, who is your

fascinating friend?"



Rogue folded her arms smugly, "You can ask him yourself…"



Remy frowned, and then heard someone in the hall behind him.  The

footsteps were heavy, and he could smell a cigar.



"Say, bub," a gruff voice said, "Don't I know you?"



Remy turned and stared wide-eyed at Logan, who gave him a long, but

not entirely unamused glare, before glancing over at Rogue.



"Hey, kid," he greeted her with a grin.  Rogue escaped past

the speechless Cajun and hugged the rugged looking man around the

neck.



"Hey, Logan," she said, stepping back and smiling brightly.

Bobby walked up beside her and held out his hand.



"Iceman…" Logan said, shaking the boy's hand once with a

grin, "Holdin' down the fort, huh?"



"Yeah, the Professor and Storm and Cyclops should be back soon

though," Bobby said quickly, still a little nervous in the older

man's presence.  He figured he always would be, after seeing

Logan fight off the guards the night the mansion was invaded.



"Terrific," Logan said sarcastically, "I think I'll

wait up for them…"



Rogue yawned, and glanced between Bobby and Logan, thinking this had

been the best day she had had in a while.



"Well…I'm gonna go finish helpin' Kurt with the kids

and then I'm headin' to bed," she said, "See

ya'll in the morning."



"Night, kid," Logan said, as she walked up the stairs and

then glanced at Bobby, "I'll keep an eye down here until the

Professor and crew show up."



"Sounds good to me…" Bobby said, "There are a few new

faces around here so don't be surprised if they're wandering

around at night."



"Right," Logan said, glancing over at Remy, who was still

standing on the stairs as Bobby followed Rogue up to the second

floor.



After a silence that lasted years for Remy LeBeau, the man called

Logan wandered to the bottom of the stairs and glanced up at him

darkly.  Remy swallowed once, hoping the man had not taken Remy's

closing remarks at the bar too seriously.



"So…" Logan said, breathing out cigar smoke, "Guess

tonight's not your lucky night, eh, bub?"



Remy said nothing, but waited until Logan had left the main hall

towards the kitchen before sitting again on the last step of the

staircase.  Smooth talkin' Remy LeBeau had been knocked

speechless by the appearance of the other man until now, and he

could only think of one thing to say that could describe this new

situation.



"Merde."



***



Archived at www.fanfiction.net/~leen713