This is my submission for a secret challenge set by my friend Jason, which was not only to post to a schedule but to show that we could do better than the current writers at producing quality work to said schedule.

This was written in August 2006 with each chapter coming out a week after the last. It was hard but I managed it somehow.

The story comes first, and after each chapter will be a prequel for one of the characters. I know that makes this a long chapter, I hope that isn't a problem.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, this is making me no money and they are the sole property of Marvel.

Warnings: There will be slight femslash and hints of slash later on in this, so if you don't like it then don't read it.

Homelands

Part 1- Gathering

Xavier's…

Sage watched as Emma Frost stood in the head master's office, her back to the door, looking out of the window. She could almost tell what Emma was thinking, and she was glad that the blonde didn't know that the communications screen could be used as a form of one-way mirror.

Emma was watching the children playing in the gardens, or at least trying to maintain the illusion that she was, but Sage knew differently. In reality, she knew that Emma was thinking about the events of the past few months, counting the children that were playing and undoubtedly praying that she wouldn't lose any more to anything other than old age.

Sage sighed to herself, deep in thought and contemplating the fact the Emma really didn't have a good track record with students under her roof. She would almost feel sorry for the other woman, but a large part of her believed that Emma bought most of it on herself and deserved to know what pain and despair felt like.

Hearing Emma sigh she put everything else onto background processing and turned most of her attention back to the image on the screen, where Emma sat down at her desk with painstaking precision. She was struggling to maintain her calm, and Sage could understand why. They both hated it when people were late, and at ten past four, the two occupants of the mansion that had been expected at four for this meeting were very definitely late.

Eventually, at twenty past, there was a staccato knock at the door and she watched as Emma deliberately relaxed, leaning back in her chair and smiling, giving off the air of elegant superiority that she'd worked so hard to train in the Hellfire Club. Sage nodded to herself, not having expected any less, and settled a little more comfortably in her chair. Things were starting to move forward now and she and she wanted to make sure she had complete data on Emma's plans.

"Come in." Emma called, and the door to her office opened to admit Logan and Laura, although she knew that Emma would be thinking of the young woman as X-23, believing her to be nothing more than an animal. She shook her head at such short-sighted bigotry on Emma's part, knowing that Laura had the potential to be so much more if nurtured properly.

She watched as Laura sat down, her posture a curious mix of defensive and aggressive that made Sage wonder what Emma had done to her to put her so ill at ease, and noted that she looked good dressed in the halter top and trousers uniform she had chosen to adopt since the last time Sage had seen a visual. She looked on as Logan shut the door behind him and then sat down in the other chair, his demeanour nonchalant which in itself showed that he was intrigued as all hell.

"What's this all about Emma?" he asked, fixing Emma with a piercing, confrontational stare which screamed of how unhappy he was about having been called in. From the slight glance he gave towards Laura, Sage knew that he was worried it was something to do with his 'sister', and she smiled slightly, glad for once that he was going to be wrong about Emma's reasoning. It amused her slightly to see him off balance.

"I'm putting together a new team Logan, one that wouldn't exactly meet with Scott's approval, before you ask why he isn't here." Emma answered Logan's questions easily, that self-satisfied smile still on her face.

Sage wondered to herself just how calm she actually was, noting the slight tapping of Emma's fingers on the desk that normally gave away tension, and decided the answer was not actually all that calm.

"Right." Logan didn't sound too convinced. "That explains why I'm here, but what about Laura?" he asked, frowning slightly, almost daring Emma to give him the answer he was expecting.

Sage watched as Emma sighed slightly and shuffled the papers on her desk, appearing to consider the answer to the question carefully. However, Sage knew that the answer had been worked out almost as soon as Laura had come to the school and finally allowed Emma to see behind her shields.

"Although she has been keeping up with her lessons as agreed, it has come to my attention that not only is she not fitting in, but she is actually avoiding any attempt at forming connection with the other students. That in itself would make her ideal for this team, but when you take into account her particular talents, she's perfect." Emma smiled, not at all ashamed at this none-too-obvious reference to Laura's past.

Sage watched the young woman in question carefully, not too surprised to note the slight tension in her jaw at the mention of her attempts to form friendships and the clenching of her fists at the reference to her 'talents'. Sage hoped that things hadn't been to hard at the mansion for the young feral, but knowing Emma's thoughts on the matter and the way she educated her students she knew that it probably would have been.

"Of course," Emma continued, tone sweet and cold, "If you think she's too young or unsuited to being a member of a team…"

"I'll do it." Laura growled, taking everybody by surprise and completely cutting Emma off. Sage noted that it was only sheer force of will she hadn't leapt off her chair and wondered again what Emma had done to her.

"Slow down kid," Logan said gently and put a restraining hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "You don't even know what the mission is, or who the rest of the team are. How about you wait until we get the rest of that information before jumping into it head first." Laura nodded, and Logan turned back to Emma. "So spill Emma. I want details, woman, else neither of us are joining this little team of yours." He demanded.

"Alright Logan, I'll give you details," Emma was entirely unruffled by his and Laura's statements. "First of all, the team will be dealing with the sort of missions that the X-Men as a whole can't complete due to the pesky little things such as 'do not steal' or 'do not kill' that Scott seems so fond of saying. I can't give you details of this particular mission. I'll leave that to the third member of the team." Emma pressed a small button and the full link on the vid-screen came to life. "Sage, if you wouldn't mind filling them in on the details of the mission."

She watched Logan and Laura reacting to her presence on the screen, both surprised to see her. Logan's face went through anger to curiosity to a kind of neutral acceptance, and he offered a nod and a quiet "Darlin'" in greeting.

Laura, who had never met her before, regarded her with open fascination and what could be hope for a second before her face fell back into its mask of surly indifference.

"Of course Emma." Sage replied, nodding her greeting to all of the occupants of the room. "We are going to be heading out to Afghanistan, where one of the drug cartels have been developing a new drug. A drug that, if all the indicators are accurate, will be ten times more powerful than Kick. An overt operation would result in whole scale slaughter so we will be running a covert mission. I will tell you the rest on the way to Afghanistan if you are interested." She had deliberately given them enough information to get them hooked and then ended on a question, already knowing what the answer would be.

"I already said I'd do it," Laura said, quieter and more in control this time and Sage could tell that this was how she would normally react, without Emma baiting her. It had been Emma's idea to include the young feral in this team, and Sage had to wonder just what her motives were, especially considering her visible animosity to the young woman. Sage had no problems accepting Laura into her team, especially considering the content of her various files and dossiers on her. Laura was perfectly suited to black-ops missions and Sage intended to see her succeed as part of her team, no matter what Emma wanted.

Logan spent a minute watching her, and Sage could see that he was weighing up the pros and cons of being part of another black-ops team. She wasn't surprised, especially considering what she now knew of his past, but she could also tell that he wanted to say yes, wanted to get back to a life where the rules weren't quite so important. Finally he nodded, a slight grin playing across his lips. "Alright darlin', I'm in. Can't say I ain't a little wary about this, but I'm willing to give it a shot." He looked at Laura for a moment, "And if the kid says she wants in, who am I to complain? She's an adult an' it'll be nice to keep an eye on her."

Sage watched as Laura glowered a little at her 'brother', and held back a smile. She was an adult alright, and clearly chafing at the restrictions that had been placed upon her. That fact made her challenge Emma, Sage was certain, and would explain part of the animosity. Emma never had been good at dealing with other alpha females on her territory , or with young women trying to find their place. Sage was even more determined, when she realised that, to help the feral who had caught her attention, made a mental memo to keep and eye on Laura.

Logan spoke again, and she redirected some of her attention away from Laura, towards him. "I ain't bein' funny darlin', but if it's just the three of us, we ain't exactly a balanced team. Laura an' me are good for muscle, wet work and some of the other stuff I'm sure'll need to be done. You yerself ain't a bad spy, and if it's on a computer them I'm sure you've already got access, but it seems like somethin' or someone is missing."

Sage actually smiled at this, pleasantly surprised to find Logan more insightful than she remembered, and told him as much, noting with amusement the look on Emma's face as everybody else in the room ignored her. "You are correct Logan, there is to be a fourth member of our team, however, circumstances dictate that we pick him up elsewhere. Once he is on board, and we are on our way to the location, I will fill you in on the rest of the details of the mission, which I'm sure you are both curious about." She's gone on to talk about the mission because she knew that would be his next question and his grin told her she had been right.

"Before any of you get too excited," Emma's cold voice cut in, drawing them back to their surroundings, "there are a few small details you need to be aware of." She paused, ensuring that she had their full attention. "You are to be fully autonomous, with no ties to this institute or the Xmen. Not only does that mean that we won't know what you are doing, which means that darling Scott won't try to interfere, but also that we will not bail you out of any trouble you manage to find. Sage is in command, and will choose your missions, although I will give you any help in that that I can. Other than that, you are on your own."

Sage watched as Emma waited or their reactions to that seemingly ominous statement, and she wondered if the woman expected them to show shock, or collapse in fear and grief. She also wondered if Emma realised how disenchanted they all were with the little empire that was Charles Xavier's legacy, or how that legacy had failed them all in one way or another over the past few years. Sage shook herself mentally, diverting the bitterness and melancholy that threatened her, bringing her mind back to the job at hand.

"Thank you for those kind words, Emma. I'm sure that we will all take them to heart and try not to let them keep us awake at night." Sage held back a smile both at Emma's expression of distain and Laura's barely disguised snort of laughter. Them she got down to business. "As I said, our fourth member isn't available locally, so if Emma would be so kind as to lend you one of the Blackbirds I will meet you at New Orleans airport.

Sage looked at Logan, catching his faint frown at their destination. This should be an interesting reunion.

New Orleans…

Sage had known that Logan would have mixed feelings about coming to New Orleans to collect the team's fourth and final member, but she wished he wouldn't sulk about it. The weather wasn't helping much, the hot, humid summer making the air almost too liquid to breathe. As he stumped along in front of her, the humidity plastering his hair to his scalp, she didn't need enhanced senses to pick up the constant stream of grumbling.

She also didn't need enhanced senses to pick up the fact that they were being followed, and had been almost since they arrived. That Logan wasn't paying any obvious attention to their tail set her at some ease, and she put a hand on Laura's shoulder in an attempt to calm the tense feral. "They aren't a threat." She murmured, knowing that Laura would be able to hear her, and the slight relaxation in the muscles under her hand showed that she had been correct.

Keeping an eye on what was going on as they walked through one of the less tourist areas of the French Quarter, she soon picked up on the patterns of symbols that let her know their destination was near. A few turns and twenty minutes later they stood outside a small herbalist's store that bore the legend 'Baptiste' above the door, and Sage knew it would be useless to insist that either of her companions wait outside.

Logan would insist on coming in because the man they were here to recruit had been a good friend and drinking buddy of his for years. Laura would insist on coming in because she was curious, and non-too-subtly trying to assert her position as Alpha female, and would go against all but a life or death order from her. Finally, if they argued it through, they would both insist on coming in since they didn't know if their old friend would be anything like the man he used to be, and if he would attack them on sight as he had the last time he'd seen them.

As they walked into the store Sage noticed that their tails, since she could now pick up at least three, had stopped a short distance away form the shop. They were maintaining a position that meant they could easily rush to the owners aid at short notice. Once inside the shop, its dark and slightly smoky atmosphere setting Sage on edge and making her feel like she was intruding one someone else's turf, the were confronted by a plump, matronly older woman. Sage knew from her files that this was Mattie Baptiste, also known to Remy as Tante Mattie. This was where they would find the information that they were looking for.

"Come in. Come in, an' lets see what ol' Tante can do for you." She welcomed them amicably enough, but Sage could pick up the slight tension coming off her. Trusting Logan and Laura to their own devices Sage stepped forward and started to make enquiries about their target.

"I'm looking for Remy LeBeau." She began, and was almost instantly cut off as looked over her shoulder.

"Don't do dat, child.," Tante warned Laura, who had begun to investigate the various jars and containers lining the shelves. She wasn't surprised that the young feral had indulged her curiosity, since she was certain that Laura had never been anywhere like this before. "Dere's t'ings in der might bite the unwary." Continued the warning. Laura just sniffed and continued to poke around. Sage found herself wondering how long it would be before something did bite her. "Who was it y' were lookin' for again?" Tante's attention finally focused back on Sage.

"Remy LeBeau." Sage repeated. The old woman started muttering names under her breath and Sage got the feeling that she was about to engage in a game of mental poker, with a master. It was a challenge she found herself looking forward to.

Eventually, the old woman shook her head. "Desole. Don't know anyone by dat name. Did know a Remy LeRoux, but dat was years ago an' I doubt that'd be any good to you. However…" She headed over to a shelf and, as she rummaged for something in its depths Sage got the slightly uncomfortable feeling that this 'harmless old woman' was actually anything but harmless. It was steadily becoming clear in the way she held herself and the quiet authority with which she presided over the shop. A good example of this was Logan. Sage had watched him pat himself down for a cigar, stop with it halfway to his mouth, pick up on a look from Tante and hurriedly change his mind. It took a lot to get him to even consider not smoking, and normally not even the presence of high explosives would actually get him to stop, but one look from Tante Mattie was all it took. Sage was quite impressed by that.

"Ahh, here it is." Tante turned back to Sage, holding a small jar of ointment, but before she could speak Sage interrupted, knowing Tante was trying to distract her.

"I know you know Remy LeBeau. Where can we find him?" She asked calmly.

"Really? What make you t'ink I know him?" Tante put the jar down. One eyebrow raised and her hands rested on her hips. She was not planning on being intimidated any time soon.

"There are Thieves Guild sigils on your shop. I know what they mean. You work with them." Actually Sage was still decoding the more complex sigils, but she'd been able to interpret the more basic ones. This shop was definitely protected.

"I pay my fee. Dey leave me alone. Sometime dey drop by for bruise cream. Nothin' else to be said on dat. Now…" The triumphant smile on her face made Sage wonder if the metaphorical rug was about to be pulled from under her. It was, spectacularly, as Tante pushed the ointment jar towards her. "Dis might be able to heal them scars o' yours a little better."

Sage was stunned, realising that the 'harmless old woman' had seen straight through the telepathic glamour she used to cover the scars she had received from Bogan. Not only did that take some skill, and Sage's files recorded the woman has having no significant mutant ability, but she had also very effectively just put Sage in her place, and if they wanted to find Remy she was going to have to do some very quick thinking.

It didn't help when Laura, who was still investigating the shelves, snorted quietly, easily able to tell what had just happened and clearly amused by it. As Sage prepared to reply to Tante, ignoring Laura for now but promising mentally to show the young feral just who was alpha later on, there was a loud snap, the sound of metal hitting flesh and bones breaking, and a yelp from Laura.

There was also a low, quiet laugh from the shadowy recesses of the shop, and Sage watched as Logan looked over towards it warily, tensing for action. "Tante warned you 'bout de t'ings dat bite de unwary." A familiar voice drifted towards them from the back of the shop, "lucky for you dat you got a healin' factor petite, or dat would be permanent." There was the faintest tone of apprehension in the voice, Sage noted, hidden under the warm amusement.

"Come on out Gumbo. We ain't here to hurt ya." Logan rumbled, and Sage wished for an instant that she could use her telepathy to find out just what was going on in his mind. She hated having incomplete data on anyone, especially someone as fascinating as him, but there was very little she could do about it. Instead she turned her attention to the man emerging from the shadows, her background processing noting Laura easing the fingersnap off of her broken hand.

"You sure you aren't goin' to hurt me homme?" Remy asked as he detached himself from the shadows that seemed to cling to him like water. They had done that somewhat before be became Death, but now they almost followed him into the light, and Sage found it slightly unnerving. In his hands was a deck of old, ornate cards much like the standard playing cards that were his signature weapon, and as he began shuffling them Sage sincerely hoped that she hadn't made a mistake in bringing them here.

He looked remarkably like his old self, before he became death, dressed in an approximation of his old uniform with his trademark trenchcoat wrapped tight around him. Sage caught herself marvelling at the fact that his skin tone and features had been wholly restored, a feat she was sure that not even Hank could have achieved, and wondered what it had to do with Tante Mattie, who was applying something greasy looking to Laura's rapidly healing hand. Even his eyes had reverted to their old colouring, and if it wasn't for the long, bone white hair that hung behind him nothing would have given away the fact that he wasn't the man he used to be. "'Cause dat wasn't de case last time I saw you." He finished, and stood where he was, leaning against a counter, relaxed but clearly expecting accusations or an attack.

"Could say the same about you Cajun." Logan replied, and Sage could tell he wasn't entirely happy with this. "In fact, last time we saw ya, you were trying to hurt more than just us. Sage decided it was best to stay in the background, to watch the old friends try to come to terms with each other and give them the space to do so. She knew they had to get this resolved now if there was and hope of their team working together, or Remy even joining the team.

"Made a mistake, homme. Did de wrong t'ing for de right reasons. Underestimated an enemy an' I can admit to dat, but 'm not de only one in de room to make dat mistake." His gaze was fixed on Logan but Sage knew he was referring to her as well. "Tante helped me t' see what was goin' on, an' her faith in me managed t' give me some measure o' forgiveness. Don't apply to de X-Men though, they don't exactly got a good track record with offerin' me second chances." Sage could hear the bitterness in his voice and didn't blame him for it. The X-Men had always treated him like a whipping boy when it came to forgiveness.

"Well I ain't an X-Man no more." Logan replied, and Sage knew that Logan had picked up on the same things she had. "An' I know what ya mean about mistakes Remy, made more'n a few myself. I'm willin' to let bygones be bygones, as long as ya ain't still under his control."

Sage watched Remy smile properly for the first time, and run his gloved hands through his hair, noting that they were full gloves. She wondered at his change of attire. "Homme, other den a few souveniers, like de hair, 'm back to normal. Tante jus' kept slappin' me upsides de head until I was back to my ol' t'ievin' self. You don' have any worries bout me bein' one o' his lapdogs anymore." He grinned again, an act so typically Remy that Sage felt her heart flutter a little, a feeling that intensified as he turned his charm and attention to her. "So if Logan's not an X-Man, 'm assumin' dat neither you nor de petite are either. So what do I owe de honour of dis little reunion to?"

"I'm putting together a new team, separate from the X-Men, and I want you for it," she noted the minute look of longing that crossed his face, and the way he was looking at the three of them. "This is it; you would make the team four. However I won't tell you the rest until you are in."

She could see the indecision warring on his face, and watched as he started to shuffle the cards faster as if trying to get them to make the decision for him. Eventually he stopped and set the cards down on the counter almost reverently, laying a gloved hand on top of the deck. Seconds passed, and Sage knew that he was asking for guidance through the cards. She also knew that of the people in the shop only Laura didn't understand what was going on, and she felt almost sorry for the girl.

Finally Remy sighed and cut the deck, pulling a card from the top of the pile remaining on the counter. Looking at it closely he nodded to himself, and then tossed the card towards them. Laura flinched, expecting an attack, but Sage just watched it land, the Ace of Spades staring up at her.

PREQUEL – SAGE

It is midnight, the witching hour, although the only way to tell is to look at the glowing LCD on the clock because the world is obscured behind windows and curtains. Despite the heavy blackout fabric used however, the occasional flashes of light can be seen, destroying the notion that the room's occupants are cut off from everything in their haven.

Not that one of them could care less. Sleep claimed him hours ago, and has no desire to relinquish him any time soon. He is spread across the bed, limbs askew, hair messed up beyond belief and the sheets barely covering his nakedness. He twitches, rolls, and his hand flops on to the other side of the bed, where it would have hit the room's other occupant, had she been in it.

Her side of the bed is empty. In fact, on closer inspection it hasn't been slept in at all. The only sign that she occupied it, however briefly, is the slight imprint on the pillow. Instead, she is sat on the chair that she had moved into the room to help manage her insomnia, not that she'd have been able to sleep tonight anyway.

Looking over at the man in the bed she has the feeling, deep inside, that she made a terrible mistake when she agreed to sleep with him. Despite the adrenaline response after battle, despite the dual feeling of victory and the urge for comfort, she isn't attracted to him in any way.

Sighing she slides on a pair of glasses and despite the absence of a source the room brightens with the glow of a dozen computer screens. The outside world, and even the inside of the room now easily ignored, she starts to work, the hum of data over her network relaxing and comforting her, helping her to forget what she has done.

First, she checks on her protégé in the Hellfire club, amazed that she has been able to keep him as lord imperial for so long without challenge. As she works through the tasks that will help him maintain the position she knows that no less is expected from her. As a living computer she is expected to be the best, do the best and never fail, especially at a self-appointed task.

The feeling, caring, living woman in her cries out at the unfairness of this, at the sheer burden that she has allowed to be placed on her shoulders, but she forces it down in much the same way as she forces down all of her regrets. She goes back to work, ignoring her feelings.

Next she deals with the tasks for her current group, checking on the status of the Dark X-men, checking on all the members of her team and compiling the data as she goes. She knows they all went out together to a club tonight, but she has resigned herself to not interacting with them outside of work. It is her way after all, and nobody makes any effort to argue with her, not even the man in the bed.

Finally, she decided to check on her former team mates, the ones she left behind because she finally realised that most of them wouldn't understand her. As she goes to access the first of the cameras, her glasses chime and the image of a blonde forms in front of her, arms folded and an almost smug expression on her face.

"Tessa, I thought you stopped sleeping with men to manipulate them years ago." The cold, cultured voice makes her shudder slightly, and wish that she'd thought to engage privacy mode. She wasn't expecting any interruptions this late at night. As it is, Emma Frost, the one woman she hoped not to see her like this, is smiling at her mockingly and she knows that Emma won't let her live this down.

Before she has a chance to reply Emma continues to speak. "As much as I'd like to catch up on old times Tessa, this isn't a social call. I've got a business proposition for you."

She listens as Emma outlines her proposition, demands really, and her mind starts to process the information. She's ready to refuse, even with the reward Emma has offered, but something in her stops the words before they are said.

Here is the chance she's been looking for, the chance to work with people that understand what needs doing and the chance to be more than just a living computer once again. Its everything she wanted, the reason she slept with Pete Wisdom, and its being offered to her on a platter. Despite her misgivings, and her distrust of Emma, she allows herself to hope once again.

"I'm in."