Familiarity, a x-men fanfic

Ororo sat at her desk and sort of smiled at the letter she held in her hands, half angry it took so long to find it's way to her. Leaning back slightly, she pulled her silver letter opener from the top drawer of the desk and leisurely slid the blade through the thin paper. A soft scent of aftershave wafted to her nose and she inhaled, memories of past joys blooming in her mind.

The envelope was a standard white, no return address and no address for the school. That was Remy's way, to make sure none knew of his friends. There were many pages inside, and that excited her. He never wrote long letters, and her anticipation died when she removed the correspondence. True enough, it was a couple of pages, but they held only one sentence. I'll be there soon.

Ororo's shoulders slumped in involuntary disappointment. Why she even got her hopes up for a lengthy letter she will never know, but at least he's coming to visit her, the first in seven years. Of course there was no approximation of time, that was never his style. But wherever Remy LeBeau went, trouble followed quite easily.

Remy LeBeau smiled at some nameless blond from behind the bar, nursing his drink as he thought over his options. They weren't good. He chuckled slightly as he realized they never were, and the blond came running from across the room, eager to see if there was anything she could do.

"Need anything hon?" She asked, her brown roots visible through the honey blond. Taking the opportunity to brush her ample cleavage on a bicep hidden by a long leather duster, she couldn't be more obvious.

"Oui, some comp'ny." He leaned forwards, blinking to make sure that his brown contacts were secure. The blond smiled wider than he thought possible with her thin face.

"I'd be glad to help you out with that." She looked at the clock. " My name is Stacy."

"Stacy…dat a beautiful name fitting a beautiful woman." Remy's heart wasn't in it, she was just a warm body that was nearby. He watched her glance at the clock again, taking off the small apron that was wrapped around her thin waist.

"Thanks. I'm off now, how about some dinner?"

"Sounds good."

"I want him back here now."

"We're trying Master. He's a hard man to track."

"You don't think I know that!" The man rose from the chair, staring into the fire. "I want him found!" He turned towards the smaller man, who sunk behind the chair, trying to merge with the shadows. "If he isn't returned, then I will be forced to find another for my experiments." He sighed. "Don't fail me Brainchild."

"I won't master." Brainchild shook as hard as his small body would allow, until he was dismissed.

Four days later Ororo walked down the stairs and said hello to students who were rushing past for breakfast. They slowed for two seconds before jetting down again, trying to get the choice tables. Hitting the first floor, she smiled as Jean came out of the elevator. "Jean, good morning."

"Morning 'Ro." Jean grinned, checking the stack of papers she was carrying. Catching a stray emotion, she raised her head and lifted a ruby eyebrow. "So, what's gotten you in such a wonderful mood."

"Can't the day be glorious and I'm glad that I'm alive?" Ororo said breezily as she took half of Jean's stack.

"If you don't want to tell me, then just say so." She teased, grateful as they walked to her mathematics classroom.

"I heard from an old friend." Ororo smiled as Jean held open the door. The classroom was cool and dark, the lights flooding their vision. The latest assignment was on the marker board, and Jean's desk was immaculate as usual. They dropped the papers on the corners and Jean stretched.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Could this friend be more than a friend?" Jean asked, Ororo taking a seat as Jean started sorting the pages.

"He's one of those I'm not sure about." She admitted, picking a piece of lint from her leather pants in slight annoyance. She was never quite sure when it came to him.

"Ah, those. Those relationships are always more interesting." Ororo rolled her eyes and Jean laughed. "I'm serious. If everything was so clear cut and visible, then what fun would they be?"

"Jean…" She trailed off, amused and rising. "I'm going to go. I have breakfast duty with Scott." Jean shuddered. "Hey, you have it tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." She sighed, then looked thoughtful. "You know, I think I'm developing a fever, and a cough…I need to go see the doctor…wait! I am the doctor!" Ororo laughed and shook her head, leaving the room. She walked to the cafeteria and waved to Scott, giving him a five minute break. Sighing with relief, Scott left quickly, the sound of jabbering teens not something he'd miss.

Stepping into the quiet hall, the large oak doors closing behind him, he smiled. Maybe he could surprise Jean with a quick make out session before his first class. He started to walk to her class when the doorbell rang. Frowning, he moved quickly to the door and threw it open, frowning harder.

A tall man was standing there, leaning against the side of the door nonchalantly as he gazed back from behind his own dark sunglasses. "Bonjour."

"Hello. How did you get past security?" Scott peered past him, and the gates were locked, no cars being reported as pulling past Greymalkin Lane.

"Don't worry about that homme, but it ain't much security." Remy commented, straightening. "I'd like to speak wit Stormy." Scott raised an eyebrow.

"And who are you?"

"A friend."

"You're going to have to give me more than that pal." Scott and Remy's patience was starting to wear thin.

"Remy?" Both men turned and he smiled. "It is you. What's going on?" Ororo asked Scott as she came to the door.

"You know this man?" He asked, annoyed.

"Yes, he's a dear friend. Can he come in?" Scott opened the door and Remy walked in, his smug swagger hard to miss as Ororo smothered a laugh. Scott sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be in the cafeteria." Remy watched him leave and rolled his eyes, taking off his glasses. The startling red on black lent him a demonic appearance, but they were pleasantly normal to her.

"Hey petite." Ororo crossed her arms and tried to be angry. "What?" He asked helplessly.

"You hardly wrote."

"Hardly 'ad a pen. An it was dangerous."

"I worried."

"You shouldn't, I told you." She sighed.

"Are you in trouble?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that." His Cajun accent was infuriating when he was patronizing. He held out his arms and she shook her head stubbornly. Remy knew he deserved it, but he couldn't stand when she was angry with him. He crossed the distance, physical and emotional, and gathered her into his arms.

Despite herself Ororo relaxed in his touch, all feelings of anger gone as they molded themselves against each other. "I missed you Remy." She whispered in his ear.

"I miss you too." They backed away, and he tucked a strand of silver hair from her face behind her ear. "You dink a Cajun could get some sleep?" Ororo thought for a moment.

"Sure. Let me see if there is a room free."

"I was thinking more like you're room. Only place I'd really sleep." She took his hand and led him up the stairs.

"Are you in trouble Remy?"

"An why you dink dat?"

"Because you just show up unannounced, and you keep looking over your shoulder." They stopped on a stair and she looked into his eyes. They were only an inch apart, and suddenly she felt a bit lightheaded.

"Don' worry." Remy found himself looking at her full lips, and he vowed to keep fighting what he had been fighting ever since they parted ways years ago. Ororo nodded ruefully and they continued up to the fourth floor, and the last flight of stairs up to the attic.

He smiled as they crested the landing. Wide, open doors brought in the breeze, sheer curtains spinning in the air, the view of the lake visible. The bed was against the wall, meticulously made in what was for her, customary blue silk. A desk was on the opposite wall, and lots of open space, as usual, plants hanging around, a large watering can sitting in the corner.

"I like it." Remy said as he pulled off his jacket, throwing it onto the back of the closest chair.

"I'm so glad." Ororo said dryly. Picking up his duster, she hung it up in the closet and turned back around. He was already horizontal, his body relaxed. He opened one eye and patted the spot beside him, and she climbed in as well, atop the covers. They laid facing each other, fatigue evident on Remy's face. "Why don't you get some sleep?"

"You gonna be here wit me?" His eyes already fluttering shut.

"I have a class. I'll be back on my free period. Just sleep, okay?" Remy nodded, eyes closed and breathing almost normal. Ororo smiled and kissed him on the forehead, carefully sliding out of the bed. She didn't know that he had been awake for four straight days, not stopping to sleep, for who knows who was behind him. She closed the door quietly, and glanced at her watch. Time for class.

Logan pulled into the garage and sighed, putting out his cigar on his hand as he swung his leg around and stretched. Nothing had changed with him, except a slight disappointed light in his eyes. He found nothing up north, and almost didn't come back. His promise and the prospect of Scooter turning Jean into a walking stick of wood the only reasons. But hey, not gonna happen.

He walked though the mechanics class and felt Scott's glare from behind his red glasses and smiled. Yeah, it was good to be back. Opening the door to the main floor, he passed by Jean's classroom and let himself linger for a moment, enjoying the way she moved. Always in red, her red hair sat on one shoulder as she helped a kid with an assignment, the others looking bored. A certain brunette with a white stripe caught his attention, and he smiled.

Marie was doing fine, her face happy and content since the first time he laid eyes on her. The abject loneliness was gone, laughing quietly at a joke someone said to her. She seemed more at ease, although still covered from neck to boots. He nodded and went to his room. Logan would talk to her after class was over. He knew how uptight Jean was when her class was interrupted. He didn't want to cause waves…not yet.

Logan put his duffel bag down and sniffed. Some loud aftershave that probably had a French name was hanging in the air like death. Who in the hell would wear such loud smelling crap? He stuck his head out of the door and sniffed the hallway. It was a trail as big and as obvious as if someone had stuck police tape along the hallway.

Growling softly he stalked down the hall, sniffing every few feet and barging ahead. It went up the stairs at the end of the hallway, to 'Ro's room. Why would she have a guy? He always thought of her as someone who would never get a guy because she never let anyone near her. Apparently she had.

Curiosity got the better of him and he scaled the stairs quickly, poking his head up from low on the ground. The smell was in the room, but it was empty. He'd have to meet the bub who decided to worm his way into 'Ro's heart, you know, just to see how he was. But first, he wanted to have lunch with a certain sixteen year old that he missed a lot.

"Professor Xavier said you could stay as long as you want." Ororo said as they sat at a table in front of an outdoor café. The people shifted around them with a dull roar, the noise receding into the background.

"Mos' kind." He sipped his rum and adjusted his sunglasses, the sun unbearably bright today. Remy looked around furtively, an act not lost on Ororo.

"Is there something you wish to tell me?" Remy hesitated and looked at the plate of unappetizing food in front of him.

"Yes petite. Somewhere we can talk, solitude?" She nodded and signaled for the check. When it arrived, she started to pay when he stopped her. "Now how would that look if I let you pay? My reputation." He said airily as he paid. Ororo smiled.

"You always let women pay for you Remy."

"You're not most women." She sobered slightly as they rose, Remy letting Ororo lead the way. They came to a sparsely peopled park, a few children and men with their chess games enjoying themselves in the cool breeze that came through suddenly. Remy looked around and took her elbow, guiding her to an enclave of drooping Spanish moss that hung to the ground in a curtain. Once through Ororo looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" She asked quietly. He looked uncomfortable and nervous, something she had never seen in him before, and she was instantly worried. He took off his glasses and looked her dead in the eye, pinning her with his gaze, and she stepped back slightly. "What is it?"

"You must promise me dat you won' think diffr'ntly of dis Cajun. Dis isn't what I meant to happen." He raked his hands through his longish auburn hair quickly, and stepped nearer to her. Ororo was against the tree, and Remy was only half a foot in front of her.

"I promise. Nothing can change how I feel about you." She could have kicked herself. That's not what she meant to say.

"Danks petite. You de only one I got." He whispered and found himself again looking at her succulent lips. Damming everything to hell, he leaned in and gave her the kiss he didn't have the courage to give her for the longest time. Remy pressed her into the tree and Ororo wrapped her arms around his neck, joyful that her hearts desire finally came true. A few minutes later they broke apart, breathless and a bit dazed, but much happier. "Dat's not what I wanted to tell you." He kidded, and she smiled.

"Then go ahead."

"I got somebody after me."

"What's new?"

"No, dis guy is new. He relentless and don't give a shit about anybody but 'is experiments." Ororo frowned.

"Experiments?"

"Goes by the name Essex. He…he… One night I go in this swanky lookin' 'ouse, and dink I can fin' something that would fit my fancy, when I get caught. Big cat man and some others. They held me and den dey made me take tests and serums and stuff till I barely remember anyding. I wasn't 'nough for him, and he wanted more. I escaped, but he 'ad a telepath follow me." Remy rested his head against Ororo's shoulder as he spilled his tale, his hand on her hip. If he let go he was afraid he might fall.

"But telepaths have a hard time following you." She asked, frowning.

"Dis one…dis one diff'rent. She been 'round me a while and kept on me like noting I've seen in my life. She could teleport, and Essex did some shit to her so she be different too, like he wanna do to me." Ororo inhaled sharply. What was this Essex guy trying to do to Remy that made him so changed, so unhappy? She brought her hand to his face and rubbed his cheek, his body sighing in relief. She didn't reject him.

"I see. What did he threaten you with that you didn't escape sooner?"

"You." Ororo started.

"What?"

"He said e'd kill you. I couldn' lose my 'eart chere. I only got one." He looked her in the eyes. "If you want me to leave, I understan'. I jus don want you 'urt."

"Remy-"

"An I jus wanna tell you de reason I came. See, I realized if I broke out dey'd be after you. I needed to be out and be near you. Perhaps I can protect you." Remy sighed and traced the line of her slender neck to her collar. "I need you Stormy." He said softly.

"I need you as well Remy. We'll get through this together." Ororo pulled him into a hug and that's where they stayed for half an hour, in each others arms under a Spanish moss.

"This is a serious problem." Professor Xavier said as he sat behind his desk. His X-Men and Ororo's friend Remy where assembled as well as they awaited orders.

"So what should we do? Ororo is a target whatever this Remy guy does." Scott said as Jean sat beside him. Logan stood up in the background, pacing slightly. Pacing always helped him think.

"I agree. We don't know who or what we're dealing with. Remy said many mutants have been "altered" by this Essex man. Who knows, he may have an army." Jean said, worried about the entire affair. He wouldn't touch children would he?

"Nah. If he had an army, then he would have just come and taken 'Ro. No, he has only a few lackeys." Logan snorted. "And why should we hang around for him to surface? Let's find the bastard and crush that little itch to mess with mutants." Remy watched him with an amused expression on his face, then started to talk.

"He has seven."

"That is all?" Ororo asked, surprised.

"Yes, but dey all be powerful. Pushed beyond what dey used to be, except de new guy. Big Cat man." Logan stopped and frowned.

"What does he look like bub?"

"7 foot someting, roars like a lion sometimes and gots blonde hair."

"Sabertooth." Xavier frowned. This was becoming even more dangerous as it progressed. "You will not be able to just attack them. I won't allow it."

"You dink I'm lying." Remy said, his expression one of slight disgust and expectancy.

"That isn't it. I'm a bit…cautious of a person I can't feel. I wouldn't know you were in the room if you weren't sitting there." Ororo patted his arm and he sighed.

"I understand, but you mus' understan', dey will kill 'er or make her suffer tests. I don' want dat for 'er." He rose. "An neither should you."

"Remy." Ororo said quietly as he walked to the door.

"Non petite. I be outside." The door clicked behind him and Scott stood up.

"The man's a loose cannon."

"I just think he's a bit hasty." Jean said slowly.

"Why, because he cares about me? Doesn't want to see me dead?" Xavier looked at one of his oldest pupils in surprise.

"Ororo, we don't want you dead, surely you know that." She nodded.

"I know, I'm just nervous. Remy has stated that the people who are after him are now also after me, but there seems to be a certain apathy when it comes to my life."

"Ororo, that's not true." Jean protested.

"Seems that way." She left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"We've found him. He actually stayed in one place master." Brainchild gloated, handing him a piece of paper. Essex snatched it and read over it.

"So, he's with her."

"Yes." He pondered a bit as he read her powers and looked at a quick snapshot of her and Remy at a café. Ororo was leaning forward slightly, the wind picking up her hair as she smiled. Breathtaking… "When do you want him?" Brainchild asked Essex gingerly.

"I want them both."

"Both master?"

"Yes, both." He threw the paper back at Brainchild, and the large headed man quickly scrambled to catch it from the floor.

"How do you want it handled master? They are both with the X-Men."

"I want it handled quickly." He said condescendingly. " Employ the town. I might be able to exploit them all." Brainchild bowed deeply and sighed.

"Yes Master."

"Petite, I don want you mad at your friends because of me." Remy said as he felt Ororo come within the realm of his spatial sense. She sighed and stepped into the moonlight.

"I just overreacted. I wasn't truly mad, just concerned."

"Dey do worry bout you." He said, smiling softly as she came to rest beside him on her balcony. Ororo looked around the grounds and relaxed, the air calming her.

"I know. They're just very cautious. We have children here, a lot of mutant children, and if we were to just advertise what we were, they'd be a target to every vigilante anti-mutant group on the eastern seaboard. We must be careful."

"I'm not lettin' anyting happen to you chere." Remy faced her and pulled her into his arms. Ororo smiled back up at him and their lips met yet again. Several years of pent up desire coursed forth quickly as the passion started to sweep them away. Ororo felt his hands on her waist, and they slid upward, the thin material of her shirt sensitizing her nerves.

She wanted to pull him into her so he'd be safe, so he'd always be with her, her arms tightening around his neck. Remy groaned slightly as he was able to just let go and let his feelings free. His beloved Stormy felt the same way he did.

They stumbled halfway to the bed when they were interrupted. {My X-Men, There is a situation.}Ororo groaned and released Remy.

"What's goin' on petite?" He asked, his voice not concealing the desire that he held for her. Ororo kissed him again and sighed.

"Work." She thought for a second and smiled. "Want to come along?"

Logan frowned as he saw LeBeau come on board, sitting in Ororo's chair. Scott glared at him from behind his visor. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for Stormy." For some reason, this annoyed Logan. What did 'Ro see in him? Somehow he actually thought she'd always be single…someone he could always go for when he got his ass in check. Why did he wait? It was time he faced the facts. He fell for her, but for some stupid reason he decided to keep these feelings to himself. Logan started to feel glum. What in the hell happened?

"Wait in that chair." Cyclops jerked his thumb to the one behind Jean, who was hiding a smile as she pulled her hair back and put on her headset.

"I don' want to. I be comfortable here." Jean released the laugh she was holding, the sound ringing out in the cockpit. Remy looked smug as Scott glared and turned back to his controls. Great, another Logan.

Logan looked up as Ororo swished past in her uniform. He never really noticed how well she filled out leather. His head leaned over as he watched her walk by, admiring her ass. Remy narrowed his eyes behind his glasses as he watched Logan. Yeah, he thought he had something for her, but the question is, what is he going to do.

"Remy. That's my seat." Ororo said, her silver hair falling over the side of her shoulder.

"It's comfortable." He smiled and pulled on her arm. She fell into his lap laughing.

"I have to navigate." Ororo kissed him softly and stood. Remy sighed and stood as well, taking his seat behind Jean and across from Logan.

"Now that the little soap opera's over, can we leave?" Scott didn't wait for a response as he started up the plane and took off. Xavier received a distress signal from a mutant in a small town about three hundred miles away. They were to do a simple retrieval and bring the mutant back for medical attention, all in all, just routine.

They landed and the hatch opened, everyone on the defensive. Logan sniffed the air, and it brought nothing to light. "I don't like this. I don't smell anyone. Not even a mutant." He growled, his claws unsheathing. Remy was surprised, and Logan gave him some credit. He didn't flinch.

Scott looked around, the red tint of the seven houses and a store empty. "Well people, fan-" He was cut off as Sabertooth jumped out of the second house on their right and slammed into Jean. They hit the ground and Sabertooth jumped up, Jean unconscious.

Logan roared and leaped at him, catching him in his side with his claws. Scott let loose a beam and Sabertooth grabbed Logan by his arm and swung him around, letting him slam into Scott. Scott was hit hard, three hundred pounds of metal on a two hundred pound man slamming into his jaw. Scott hit the ground hard, knocked out as well.

Remy was internally panicked. Essex sent the most muscled and cold-blooded man he had after him. Seeing Sabertooth brought back repressed memories of terror, loneliness, pain, and dread. He watched as Ororo's eyes went white, the shift of energy in the air alluding to what was coming. He looked up as a pink light flashed over the small cropping of houses. It flickered again and became substantial, a pink bubble.

Ororo cried out as the energy left her, the feeling of being shut off from something vital screaming from inside of her. Sabertooth laughed and tore a gouge in Logan, his mutant power gone. He sagged to the ground not far from Scott and Jean, his eyes closed weakly, face pale. Remy took out his Bo staff and charged Sabertooth, but he knew it was futile.

He grinned as Remy dodged his large claws, the metal device at his wrist visible as he caught the edge of his duster. Sabertooth yanked back and knocked him in the jaw with all of his strength, Remy staggering as he dropped him. He watched with misery in his eyes as Ororo ran, Sabertooth right behind her. Remy finally lost consciousness, slumping to the dirt.

Ororo ran as fast as she used to on the plains, dodging Sabertooth's swipes. Her cape fluttered behind her and she quickly realized it would be a liability. Snapping off the attachments she felt the added weight leave her as it sailed behind her. She heard him roar and she dodged between a house, looking around for any place where she could- Ororo was knocked to the ground as he leapt and tackled her from behind.

She screamed as he crushed the air out of her, his large bulk pinning her to the ground. "Let me go!" She yelled indignantly. He only laughed and lifted her up, turning her around so she faced his foul smelling breath.

"I couldn't do that." He leaned forward and took a smell of her mane, Ororo shuddering at her disgust and fear. "You smell good." He growled and yanked on her tresses. She cried out, her throat exposed as her heart beat wildly. Sabertooth suddenly stopped and roared, flinging his huge hand across her face. With one slap, she was out.

Scott groaned and swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry and his tongue large in his mouth. He opened his eyes and looked around, and shut them quickly. His visor was gone, but there wasn't the large beam slamming forth from his vision as it killed anything in its wake. He opened his eyes again slowly, and almost laughed. Colors. Muted colors, but colors nonetheless. Scott brought his hands up to his face and stopped.

His wrists slid across something sleek and metallic encircling his neck. A collar of some sort, his wrists in chains that led to the floor. Looking to his right, he sighed with relief. Jean was slumped against the wall, no apparent injuries, and her breathing was strong. "Jean…" He tried to get to her, but the heavy chains on his wrists only gave him enough room to awkwardly bring her into his arms. "Jean." He shook her again and she groaned, her beautiful green eyes fluttering open.

She looked into his eyes and screamed. Logan woke up and looked around, disoriented. He saw Scott without his visor and blinked, and blinked again. "What in the hell is going on?" Jean started to cry, tears streaming down her face as she realized she could finally see her husband's eyes. Jean tried to get closer to him, but her chains wouldn't allow much leeway. Their collars clanked together briefly and she looked down in surprise. "What's this?"

"I don't know." Scott said as Logan tugged hard on his collar. Feeling all around, there wasn't any latch that he could manipulate and he growled. He sniffed and looked surprised. "What?" Scott asked, looking into his wife's eyes again. He would never tire of that color.

"I can't smell anything. I can't use my mutant powers, but I'm healed from when Sabertooth got me." He felt the side of his chest where he almost was gutted and felt the long slit in his uniform, but the skin underneath was as smooth and hairy as it usually was.

"Da collars." Remy said from his corner. Logan frowned again. He didn't like being snuck up on. If he still had his sense of smell he would have known he was awake.

"What about them?" Jean asked, tapping hers with her fingernail.

"De suppress powers. Essex use dem in his experiments." Remy said without emotion. He was past emotion right now. Back where he started. Where he fought four years to leave. He looked over at Ororo, who was still cataleptic. Her long hair covered her face, but Logan was reassured she was alive as he watched her chest rise and fall. "Why isn't she waking up?" Remy asked to himself.

"Welcome to my humble abode." A piece of the wall opened up and an imposing figure stepped into the small room. Remy's shoulder's slumped as Logan started to strain against his manacles. Essex looked at him, an amused smile on his face as he watched him struggle. "It isn't of any use. Without your mutant powers you don't have a chance to break free."

"You must be Essex." Scott spat as he saw his wife's fear. He came over and leered in his face.

"You're correct. I want to congratulate you all."

"What for bub?"

"You'll be my premier experiments. Most mutants aren't as strong as you are, so they serve as practice. I've been waiting until I could get my hands on some alpha mutants." Essex straightened and looked out of the small window that let in some moon light. "When I captured Remy here I lucked out. He's a lot more powerful than you think. Now, I have found one of the most powerful of all." His voice softened as he knelt in front of Ororo.

"Wake up sleepyhead." He lifted her up slightly and placed her against the wall.

"Leave her alone!" Logan shouted, struggling still, the metal biting into his writs, blood flowing down his forearms. Essex only spared him a quick look.

"Please. You 'ave what you want. Let dem go." Remy said, his red on black eyes flashing dangerously.

"I decided you're not the only one I want. I ought to thank you. I didn't think you were stupid enough to lead me straight to them, or her." Ororo groaned slightly then was silent. "Come on beautiful one, wake up." She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes, her hair falling away to reveal her face. She stared up at someone she didn't recognize, and things started to fall into place.

"Where am I?" He smiled.

"You're a guest."

"Guests usually don't wear chains." She angrily clanked hers against the ground.

"You're not a usual guest." He smiled and rose. "Beautiful and feisty. Great combination. You're going to be a wonderful project."

"I will kill you. Dat is a promise. Don' touch her." Remy said lowly. Essex laughed incredulously and glared down at him.

"You will not and cannot threaten me. I am so much higher than you will ever be, it is like a human to an ant. Don't push me." He revealed a console on his forearm and he pressed a red button. A light on Jean's collar blinked and she screamed, writhing in pain. "Do you want me to turn it up all the way?" He asked sweetly.

"Please stop this! You're hurting her!" Scott yelled as his wife convulsed right next to him. She stopped thrashing about and fell against the ground, breathing heavy. She had never felt anything like that before, as if a laser just wantonly probed her body, cutting and slicing as it went. It was horrible, and tears trickled down her cheeks, her body exhausted.

Logan was pulling hard, his mouth almost foaming as he saw what he did to Jeannie. Cursing and screaming, he struggled but to no avail. "You prick! You'd torture a defenseless woman!"

"My my, such an animal." Was all that Essex said as he smiled again at Remy, who had his head in his hands. He just wanted to protect Stormy, but instead, he lead them right to her and her friends. How could he have done that to her?

Ororo felt something white hot expand within her, and she started to struggle, years of volatile emotions she could not express, experiences she lived through where she had to keep everything at arms length because it was too dangerous for others surfaced as she saw her best friend cry out in intense pain. Slowly but surely, outside the sky became dark as massive clouds came into the area.

Essex looked down at her in surprise, leaving the room. He walked downstairs to where one of his henchmen, Vertigo, looked at the vital signs of everyone chained, the sensors in their wrist shackles. A camera captured their every move and word. "What's going on with the white haired one?" He asked anxiously.

"She seems to be more powerful than we thought." Vertigo realized her mistake even as her Master backhanded her cruelly across the face.

"What did you say?"

"I said I made a mistake. She's more powerful than I thought." He didn't look at her as she picked herself off of the ground, trembling slightly as she fixed some controls. She performed a body scan on the one called Storm, and the results quickly sped down the side of the screen.

"Interesting. If she keeps going at this rate, she'll go Omega." Essex almost rubbed his hands together in glee. Her power could transform many mutants with the new technique he wanted to try.

"Yes Master. What do you want to do?" Vertigo asked carefully.

"Release her chains a little. Give her about a foot and a half slack. When I go back I'll give you the signal, and you know what to do. Vertigo nodded and didn't look at him as he stalked past.

"What is he waiting for?" Logan bellowed, his wrists almost rubbed to the muscle. He was covered in blood, and only stopped after Jean begged him not to kill himself.

"It's a tactic to break someone homme." Remy said as he watched Ororo as she pulled against the wall to pry her shackles from it. It wasn't working, and she sat down in defeat. " 'Ro." She looked at him quickly, and he braced himself for her look of revulsion.

"Yes Remy." Ororo was sweating slightly, and she took off her gloves and pulled her hair back.

'I'm sorry." She sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

"It's not your fault."

"It is."

"How about you stop trying to blame yourself and help figure out a way to get out of here?" Logan snapped, angered every time he heard Remy speak. The man just bothered the shit out of him.

"Arguing isn't going to help the situation." Scott snapped, watching his wife's pale face. The ache had ebbed away, but the memory was enough to hurt. Everyone was quiet again.

"My friends." Essex said grandly as he came in and smiled.

"We're not your friends." Jean said defiantly. He pretended to look hurt as he surveyed the group.

"Well, time for tests!" Essex was sadistically cheerful as he looked for his first subject.

"We will never do shit for you bub." Logan growled, the dried blood on his body giving him a chilling look. Essex shrugged and pushed a button on his arm console, and Logan waited and welcomed the pain, but it never came. The jolt was intended for Ororo. She screamed once and was silent, although the twinge was excruciating, she didn't want to cause her friends any more pain.

"Let her alone homme!" Remy yelled, pulling again against his chains. Logan again started to yell and scream incoherently, the desiccated blood coming off in flakes. Essex turned off the machine and Ororo slowly became aware of the world again, her body involuntarily sagging to the ground. She had never felt that much pain before. She coughed once and breathed heavily, her mind numb and whirling.

"Perhaps I'll use her." Essex pointed to Jean and Scott tried to protect her as much as possible.

"No. Leave her alone. I'll do what you want." Logan said lowly, a dangerous look in his eye. Essex smiled and pushed another button, and jets of a blue gas sprayed themselves in Logan's face from his collar, causing him to slump to the ground, unconscious. Two nameless mutants who apparently have been under the experimental hand of Essex came and dragged him out of the room, the chains disengaging themselves from his body and disappearing into the wall. The door clanked closed behind them and Remy tried to get to Ororo.

" Stormy, you alright?" He asked as she raised herself to her arms, her body shaking slightly. She didn't answer him. "Stormy!" She turned and he gasped. Her eyes were solid white despite the collar.

"Ororo, what are you doing?" Jean asked as she stood and bowed her head. Scott looked on as she seemed to meditate, not listening to her friends questions. Jean gasped and blinked.

"What's going on?" Scott asked her quickly. She brought her hand to her forehead and smiled for the first time.

"Don't you sense the energy shift?"

"No, and neither should you. You don't have your powers." He pointed out.

"I'm a woman, I don't need telepathy to sense energy…and it's growing. Ororo might be able to help us get out!" A large bellow coursed through their cell and they all recognized it. Logan. Ororo looked up, startled, and angry beyond belief.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing her emotions into one miniscule point, and let them go. They grew past the hampering system of the collar, taking on a physical sense as they pushed against the walls of the cell. They bulged out as Scott, Jean and Remy were thrown against the walls. Ororo turned to the door and pointed, and lightning flew from her finger and sliced the hinges off, the large metal falling to the ground with a clatter.

Holding onto her collar, she let loose more energy, frying the circuits and melting the metal. She yanked it off and went crazy. Slicing at what seemed to be random, everyone gasped as their chains were gone, and they could stand. Releasing Remy and Jean from the collars, she turned to Scott and looked almost sad.

"It's okay. Two hours was eternity for me." He looked into his wife's eyes once again, retrieving another visor from a hidden part of his uniform and put it on. Ororo placed her hand on the metal and it seemed to shrink from her touch, melting and twisting into nothing. Scott's visor glowed bright for a second and he sighed. His world was blood yet again.

"Just come on, just come on…" Essex smiled as he downed some of his tonic. It amplified his mental powers, and he needed to be in top shape when she came looking for him.

"Master, do you think it wise to let them come so easily?" Brainchild asked nervously, watching Ororo blow away everything that came into their paths. Remy picked up large pieces of debris and charged them, the many low echelon underlings either exploding or getting knocked out with concussion beams and flying 2x4's thrown by Jean.

"Do you dare question me?"

"Not at all. I am nothing in your infinite wisdom." He hastily replied.

"I'm glad you realize."

Ororo burst open a door as the mutant who was torturing Logan stepped back, a large, metal bullwhip in his hands. She threw lightning at the whip, and it traveled up the length to its owner's heart, making it explode in his chest. He slumped to the ground and Remy stepped over him quickly, Jean and Scott a bit more hesitant as the man laid dead at the hands of an X-Man.

Logan was cut down, but almost unconscious again. He had no skin on his back, and was almost whipped to the bare muscle. Remy and Scott held him up as Ororo removed the collar, and his body started to heal immediately. Jean turned away as skin knitted itself over the blood, his writs going back to normal as his body was repaired. He shook off the men and growled, unsheathing his claws. "Let's do some damage."

Remy smiled and produced a pack of cards. "Dat's all I wanna do homme." They both ran off before anyone could say anything, down the hall to where Jean said she sensed Essex. Frowning Scott started.

"I think we should go to the plane. You two were zapped, and we don't know if there are any side effects or little surprises." He tried to pull his wife back when Ororo raised her hands and blew a hole in the wall leading to the hall.

"You two can go. I'm going to help Remy. He cannot get caught again." She lifted off and flew along the ground, leaving Scott and Jean's mouth open in surprise.

"Essex! Dis ends now!" Remy yelled as he spotted him. Essex turned and laughed.

"That was so cliqued. You are hardly worth my time."

"I wouldn't say that." Logan smiled and lunged for the ceiling, slicing a long rent down the side of his torso. A metal on metal sound ran through the air as it foamed and gathered back together. Logan stared at it in disgust. "You have a healing factor."

"Nothing as primitive. I am not quite a mutant. Well, not anymore. I haven't been just a mutant for over 400 years." Essex started to laugh as large tendrils grew from under his arms. Remy and Logan dodged them as they snaked through the air, but one caught him around the neck and brought him to his knees, trying to make his head explode as he applied pressure evenly. Logan growled and ran over, slicing through his tendril a few times, but it always grew back its length. He slammed his blades through the computerized vegetation that grew from Essex and it dropped to the ground, sucked into the cement as Ororo slammed through the wall to Essex's right.

He was surprised as she tackled him, both hands on the sides of his face. They landed and the room was silent, Logan and Remy stunned beyond belief as they watched the scene unfold in front of them. "Rule with me. You're so much more than they are, and you're not even at full power. Let me cultivate you." Essex almost begged, the opportunity of a lifetime literally sitting its shapely body in his lap.

"I am not anyone's project." Ororo closed her eyes and a large boom ripped the air as the ceiling was sucked up into the tornado that raged above the room in the sky. Logan sank his claws into the stone ground and Remy moved to the far side of the room, the winds picking up drastically.

Heat. That was all the warning he got as he closed his eyes and threw both arms over them. The light could be seen through his arms as the mother of all lightning bolts slid its way into the room, its course unavoidable. Essex's eyes widened in fear and tried to look into Ororo's, but hers were the pupil less eyes that used to turn him on. But now scared the life out of him.

It struck and he lost all sense of time, of feeling, of existence, as the bolt slammed into the ground, feeding millions of volts into their bodies as it found the quickest route to the earth. Remy couldn't breathe as the onslaught wrestled him to his knees, his duster on fire, the moment seemed to last forever as Logan felt his face burning away, perpetually healing and being ripped apart.

It ended, the light was gone, and the tornado's roaring could no longer be heard. Logan's body repaired itself yet again and he blinked. Essex was against the wall, body smoking, and he knew he was dead. He smelled no life, nor heard any heartbeat whatsoever. His thoughts turning to Ororo, she was standing, her brown eyes belying the exhaustion and fear. She was scared of her powers again, scared of what she could do when she really focused.

Staggering off of the platform they landed on, Ororo sank to her knees and fainted, no energy left to do anything. Both men ran over to her body and knelt down, reaching to take her into their arms. They stopped and glared at each other, each wanting the honor, each feeling the need to tell her how they felt. Logan was about to say something when he sniffed, and sniffed again, looking wildly at Essex. He was alive.

"I don believe it." Remy said, standing and turning around. Essex was moving slowly, still incapable of standing on his own. He turned back to Logan and looked down at his love. "Take her. I'll be dere."

"I can handle him, and I've got a healing factor. You take her." Logan protested.

"Look. Dis man tortured me for years. I need dis homme." Logan nodded in perfect understanding as he gently picked Ororo up. Remy stopped him and placed a kiss on her forehead, and watched them run for the plane. He watched Essex rise, and Remy gasped involuntarily.

Essex's body was a stark and powder white, his lips as black as his eyes, no pupils, just cold evil in the depths of his soul, shining through the windows we call eyes. He laughed, a computerized, scratchy sound, and Remy was on guard. "I must thank Ororo… she helped me complete my evolution."

"What…what happened. You should be dead." The Cajun spat, his demonic eyes following Essex as he walked around. Some sort of armor was now present on his body, tightly woven dark gray bands encircled his body.

"A couple hundred years of keeping your body alive with chemicals tends to make things a little unpredictable." He smiled, and rows of sharp fangs came into view. "All I needed was a large source of energy, and Ororo did that for me without me even asking."

"You sinister piece of shit, you die here."

"Sinister? That has a nice ring to it…" Essex nodded. "Yes… a new name to go with my new body. Mr. Sinister it is."

"You leave Stormy out of dis. Its just me and you."

"Oh no. I tried to let it just be me and you. You are the one who led me to her. You're the one who got all of her friends hurt and locked up. That was you." Remy winced slightly as he realized how true it was. "Do you really think she wants you now?"

Logan put Ororo down on the bed in the back of the cockpit and let Jean scan her. "How is she?"

"She's totally in a deep sleep. I'm not going to wake her until we sort this out. If we're calm and collected then she'll be able to deal with this…this…surge of power better." Jean sighed and rubbed her shoulder through the uniform. "I have never seen anything like that before. Where's Remy? I thought he'd be glued to Ororo's side."

"Essex."

"What?"

"Essex is alive."

"I felt him die!" Jean calmed herself and sat down in her chair, suddenly weak.

"Give up boy. You never had a chance. You're not getting out of this alive." Sinister had a thick vine around Remy's neck, another tendril grabbing his hands and keeping them above him. "I have so many more experiments, and once Ivy extracts the information I need from your brain, I'll kill you, and have years and years to study your unique genes, genes a mystery even set apart from mutant kind." He laughed as Remy closed his eyes.

'I don plan on leaving homme. Neither should you." He let his hand rest against the wall and released the explosive within. By the time Sinister realized, he only had time to throw Remy across the room as he tried to follow. Remy let control go and the whole entire room exploded.

The plane rocked as Scott and Logan looked out of the hatch desperately for any sign of Remy. Jean cried out and looked towards the building as it collapsed. "Jean, what's wrong, what do you feel?"

"It's what I don't feel. Remy… I felt him for only a second, and then he was gone." She placed her head in her hands.

"But he could still be alive. You said you couldn't read him."

"His mind said goodbye to Ororo, and he was expecting death." Logan's shoulder's sagged and he rubbed his temples, his thoughts and eyes going to the still form of the leather clad goddess in the back. How would she take the news? Hell, even he was having mixed feelings. Scott went to the pilot station and powered up, and took off.

"Master…" Brainchild said as he emerged from the underground laboratory that was directly underneath the room, or what used to be the room, where Essex laid.

"What is it?" He turned over and looked at him, his body foaming to repair itself. Brainchild was taken aback the look of his master.

"You look…you look…sinister." Essex's laugh rang out over the rubble of fallen experiments, becoming more and more senile.

Remy released the teleporter he fell on during the crash and rolled over. She was knocked out and when he landed on her she involuntarily blinked them out of existence, bringing them here, just outside of Montana, from the looks of it. He stood and dusted off his duster, looking down at the woman. He couldn't have her going back to Sinister and he finding him again, getting to his beloved Stormy.

His heart ached as he thought of her. Just one day to be with her and know that she loved him. Maybe one day would have to be enough. He leaned down and snapped the woman's neck, sure that he wouldn't be followed. Dragging her body into the brush he charged her body and left smoothly, the explosion so compact and controlled the body exploded into little miniscule pieces, just scattered DNA on the wind.

He looked at the sunset and could have sworn it mocked him. Why was the sky beautiful when he felt sick inside?