X Chronicles Part 1

by garg-girl

The Meek and the Freak & Sisters. Four sisters arrive at the mansion and promptly turn the lives of the Xmen all topsyturvy. NOTE: Takes places over the course of approximately 9 months. Rated for violence, coarse language and mature themes

1. X Chronicles: The Meek & the Freak

The Meek & the Freak

(The continuing saga of the X-Chronicles; companion story to "Sisters")

by garggirl

Disclaimer:

Please disregard all timelines while reading this fic.

The X-Men are the property of Marvel Comics/Stan Lee.

The characters of Lorrie, Stacii, and Chloe Xavier are the property of Passion. The character Sasha Xavier belongs to me. Any request to use my character must be asked for in writing.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This series has a bit of a different format than anything else I've previously posted. The X Chronicles is a joint venture between myself and my sister. The first part is written from the point of view of one character and the second is from the point of view of another character. It is important that you read both parts because each fic describes different events as well as many events in which both characters are present for.

SPECIAL NOTE: When reading these fics, please keep in mind that those written by Passion might be a little difficult to read due to the fact that she is bipolar and she had written her parts in such as way that she would be able to understand what she has written. Bearing this in mind, I ask that no flames are sent in regards to the spelling/grammar/etc...

AMENDMENT: These fics are completely un-beta'd, so all mistakes are the faults of us, the authors.

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The sun rose high over the Xavier Estate when the Xavier sisters arrived home. They hadn't seen -- let alone set foot in -- the hallowed halls of their father's massive home for nearly a decade. Too much time spent away from the one man in their lives they knew, without a doubt, they could count on.

The bright sun nearly blinded the youngest sister, sixteen year old Sasha, when she stepped out of the car. She had rode up in a mini van with Lorrie, her eldest sister. Stacii, her third eldest sister, had actually been the first to arrive via her cherry red sports car. Sasha did indeed to have a driver's licence but her sisters either didn't care to or were too afraid to get in a car with Sasha behind the wheel. This frustrated Sasha to no end, as she she high hopes of getting a little driving practice before attempting to weasel a car out of her dad for her birthday.

Their father, Charles Xavier, had come out to greet them, giving each of them a warm and long overdue hug. Sasha lingered a little longer in her father's arms.

"I've missed you so much, daddy!" she whispered in a tone so low that only he could hear.

"And I, you, my dear."

First, Charles introduced his Xmen, then Lorrie introduced herself and her sisters. "I'm Lorrie, or Shine...that's Stacii, or Scream." In a much quieter voice she added "Y'all will find out why eventually and good luck to ya when it happens." Returning her voice to its previous level of sound, she finished with "And this is Sasha, or Shimmer."

Once introductions were completed, Lorrie, Stacii, and Sasha turned to unload their belongings when the second eldest Xavier sister, Chloe, pulled up the long driveway in her Hummer, music blaring from the vehicles speakers. When it rolled to a stop, Chloe jumped out and announced her arrival as only she could.

"All right, yas all can rest. The party...has arrived!"

"Ya mind turning the music down, sis? Geez! I'm surprised ya haven't gone deaf yet," Sasha asked, wincing from the noise level.

"I'mma thinkin'...no," was Chloe's only response.

Sasha rolled her eyes in annoyance, but said nothing more. Instead she busied herself with unloading her stuff from the car. When she found herself struggling to pull out a large steamer trunk, a three-fingered white-gloved hand reached around her and gave the box a good, sharp tug. The box came loose with a quick 'pop' and dropped to the ground. Sasha looked up into an indigo-hued face.

"Uh, thanks," she said meekly as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You are very velcome," he replied in a thick Bavarian accent.

Sasha felt a special warmness in the boy's voice, but almost immediately she found her eyes drawn to the boy's sharp-looking fangs.

Gods! I've never seen anything like those before...

Quickly, she was pulled back to reality when he added "My name iz Kurt."

"I'm Sasha," said Sasha introducing herself.

Sasha watched as Kurt took a light hold on her right hand and raised it to his lips. "I am pleazed to meet you, Zazha," and he lightly brushed his blue lips against the softly tanned skin of the young girl's hand.

Sasha blushed wildly, unused to a boy showing her affection of any kind, and pulled her hand back. "Uhh, it's nice to meet you too, Kurt," and she quickly turned back to her luggage.

Gods! What's wrong with me? Sure, this guy looks a little strange, but he's kinda cute, too. I wonder how old he is or if he has a girlfriend. Wait a minute, what am I saying? Girlfriend? No one could ever be interested in me! I've never been the textbook definition of beautiful, just plain, ol' Sasha! Sasha cast a sidelong glance at Kurt, who had now returned to the others. Still, it couldn't hurt to ask... When Kurt turned to looked back at her, Sasha quickly averted her eyes and returned her mind to the task at hand.

Sasha tuned out Chloe and Stacii's usual volley of insults, as she was used to hearing it all her life.

As she made her way into the house with some boxes, Sasha whispered to the Xmen still standing next to the door.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to BitchFest 2003! Stay tuned for the years best highlights and a sneak peak at BitchFest 2004!" This sent the Xmen within earshot into a fit of hysterics which they tried in vain to mask behind a horrendous coughing fit.

------

Hours later, the Xmen sat clustered around the kitchen table. Charles rolled his wheelchair to the far end and addressed his team. "I know the sudden arrival of my daughters have caused several questions to be raised, so please feel free to ask them and I will try to answer to the best of my ability."

Suddenly, the room erupted in chaos, each one trying to get their questions out before anyone else. Charles raised his hands to silence them, chuckling slightly. "Please, one at a time."

"Why didn't you tell us you had kids, Chuck?" started Logan, chewing slightly on his cigar.

"The answer is very simple," Charles replied "for my girls safety. If any of my enemies knew of their existence, they could -- and most likely would -- be used as powerful bargaining chips. I didn't want any harm to come to them or their mother."

"Who -- and where -- is their mother?" interjected Jubilee. Everyone shot the girl a nasty look for asking such a personal question, though each one was secretly wondering the same thing.

Charles sighed heavily, a great sadness filling his voice. "About twenty-five years ago, I was searching throughout Southern Canada looking for other mutants -- I didn't yet have Cerebro -- when I met a young Irish woman named Annie Curran. She was one of the few normal humans who didn't react negatively about my being a mutant. Anyway, with her help I was able to track down several mutants who eventually became my allies, and during the time we spent together we fell in love. Annie and I were together for several years..I was beginning construction of the school and Annie had a successful, small town business where she lived. Shortly after Sasha was born, I found that I was being stalked by a mysterious mutant, so in order to keep my girls safe, I left. Annie said she understood but I've always believed that she didn't really, that she truly thought I didn't love her anymore. My stalker later turned out to be the Shadow King, so for a short time I had briefly lost touch with my family. After I dealt accordingly with the Shadow King I re-established contact with Annie. Even though we had separated, we stayed on good terms. Several times a year, when you all thought I was away on business I was actually visiting them. Approximately six months ago, Annie died..." there was a collective gasped from everyone listening, "...of a long-time illness, and I began the task of helping my girls tie up loose end at home and moving them up here. I have spent far too much time away from my family, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna spend one more minute without them."

"I'm so sorry, Professor," Jean said soothingly, "It must've been a terrible loss."

"That is was, my dear. That is was."

The room suddenly became silent as the sisters had chose that particular moment, after having settled into their respective rooms, to appear in the kitchen doorway. Each one was dressed in more casual attire. Making a beeline for the fridge, they began to pull out food.

"What you girls doin'?" Logan asked.

"We always eat our suppers together." Lorrie explained. "It's the one time of the day when we can play catch up, and seeing as this is now our home Dad will be eating with us. It's just something we've always done, and seeing as ya'll live here too, you'll be doing the same. Have no fear, we know how to cook for an army."

"But as a rule, when she's home, Chloe does the majority of the cooking, baking and cleaning, cuz she is REALLY good at it!" Sasha added with a slight smile.

Everyone looked to Chloe who flashed a brief, fake smile and giggled then turned back to her cooking, It was only now that the X-Gang noticed her sisters just handed things to her.

Sasha sat on a stool at the counter, only half listening to the conversations going on around her. She was busy chopping up some vegetables for the stew Chloe was making. Deciding that this would be a much more enjoyable activity if she had something to drink, Sasha moved around to the fridge in search of her daily caffeine intake.

"Ya take your meds?" Sasha asked softly as she stepped next to Chloe at the fridge and reached around her for a soda.

"Yeah" Chloe came back with quietly. She was sullen for a moment then came back with a much cheerier expression and added "Sasha, ya remember your B.o.S?"

"Yeah, you need something from it?"

"Nah, found out some new things though. We could discuss them later and I'll give ya the info t' add" Chloe told her.

"B.o.S?" Jubes asked slowly.

"It's short for Book of Shadows," Sasha explained.

"Yeah, we girls are witches!" Chloe added proudly.

"Really!" Ro beamed happily, the conversation suddenly catching her attention.

"Really really" Chloe giggled.

"You?" Lorrie asked, turning to Ro.

"Yes I am."

"Very cool, chicka friend, you can join us if you'd like," Chloe replied. "We ain't a coven and we don't work our magick together, as we all have our own paths, but every now and then we get together and discuss and share."

"Thank you, that would be great" Ro replied, accepting their offer.

"In fact," Sasha said, returning to her seat "the Mabon festival is only a few short weeks away. If you like, you can help me prepare the ritual site."

"I would be honoured," said Ro, smiling.

"And what paths do each of you follow?" Hank asked, looking up from the massive book in his lap.

Chloe pointed to each of her sisters, "Lorrie practises Celtic Wicca -- it uses a Celtic/Druidic pantheon mixed with Gardenarian rituals, and heavily stress the elements, nature, and the Ancient Ones -- I follow the Dianic teaching -- which involves a mixture of various trads with the prime focus on the Goddess -- Stacii is into Scottish Pictish -- they attune themselves to all basic aspects of nature. It's mainly magickal in nature with little religion -- and Sasha is the Eclectic one of the fam -- meaning she doesn't follow a particular trad, prefering to study many different magickal systems then apply what she has learned to whatever she feels is best."

"Fascinating!" Hank breathed.

Sasha scrunched up her nose and smiled. "Ain't it, though!"

"Clothing optional again this year?" Chloe asked, her voice taking on a serious tone she didn't normally use.

"As always, for you Chloe, yes it is," Lorrie replied, laughing. Stacii and Sasha added their laughs to the chorus. Everyone else's expressions seemed to say 'Oh my Gawd! She is the wild one!'

------

A short while later, when dinner was eaten and the dishes done, Sasha felt the need for a long walk. The petite blond slipped quietly away from the rest of the group, who were now heading towards the games room.

Outside, the sun had only begun to set over the horizon. There was a slight chill in the air. Sasha grabbed a light jacket and pulled it on before setting out into the waiting open air.

Moving out to the back of the mansion, Sasha headed toward the small forest in the distance. She walked along the winding dirt path, quietly humming to herself and looking at the beautiful autumn foliage. In moments, she came to a small pond beside which sat a large rock. Sasha sat down on this rock, closed her baby blue eyes, and began to meditate.

Sasha sat that way for some time, she wasn't quite sure just how long, but it was long enough for her to find a perfect calm within herself and hold onto it. But then, the peaceful silence that permeated the air around the tiny blond was suddenly disrupted by a soft creaking from above her. Sasha's eyes flew open and she looked up into the tree foliage. Directly above her, gently swaying from side to side on an tree branch was Kurt, hanging upside down and watching her intently.

Sasha's eye's narrowed in anger and she opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly cut off.

"I am zorry," Kurt began apologetically, silencing Sasha's anger "I did not mean to dizturb you." His voice was filled, Sasha noted, with genuine sincerity. Her eyes softened, the anger she felt a moment before receded from her eyes. Kurt lowered himself to the ground and sat beside Sasha on the massive rock.

Sasha looked out onto the pond, and for several long minutes silence charged the air between them -- neither one knowing what to say. Finally, it was Sasha that broke the growing awkwardness.

Without looking at him, she said "Y'know, blue's my favorite color."

Kurt stared at Sasha blankly for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.

"Vell, zat iz von vay to break ze ice," Kurt replied, wiping away his tears of laughter. Sasha smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. She blushed slightly and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "You have very beautiful eyez," Kurt remarked.

Suddenly, the happiness that Sasha had felt melted awayonly to be replaced by a sadness like no other and she stood, moving only a few steps away "Don't say things like that."

Kurt watched her, stunned. The comment he had meant as a compliment he could see troubled her severely. "Vy? I speak ze truz. I zink you are very beautiful."

"No I'm not. I'm plain. There's nothing special or beautiful about me...at least, not when I'm next to my sisters."

Kurt stood, almost sensing the inner pain Sasha felt. Gently, he laid a three-fingered hand on her shoulder. She turned at his touch, revealing the tiny droplets of tears that had begun to escape from the corners of her eyes. Reaching up with a single fingertip, Kurt caught and wiped away several of Sasha's tears. "I am zorry, I did not mean to upzet you."

"It's not so much what you said, Kurt, but being the youngest of four sisters tends to build tension and stress, and then being a mutant to boot. I just...don't have a lot of self-confidence, that's all."

Kurt looked at Sasha and decided to change the subject. "Vy do zey call you Zhimmer?"

Sasha smiled through her rapidly disappearing tears. "Because I can blend in with my surroundings."

"You mean, like a chameleon?"

"Not quite. When I shimmer it's like I become part of the scenery. Watch," she replied. Sasha took a few steps back, towards a towering willow tree. She pressed her body against the tree trunk and, in seconds, her skin began to match the hue and texture of the tree until her form completely blended with the wood, well, almost completely blended -- her clothes were still visible. She held it for a few seconds more before returning herself to her original pigmentation. "It works much better when I'm nude."

This time it was Kurt's turn to blush. Sasha giggled wildly at his reaction.

"How about you?" Sasha asked once the giggles had passed "Other than the obvious, what's your mutation?"

"I have ze ability to teleport myzelf, but I can only go two, maybe zree, milez at a time, and only to placez vere I have zeen -- just in caze I don't accidently materialize inzide a vall." Sasha's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Pleaze allov me to demonztrate," and he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke only to reappear standing on the tree branch above. When he returned to the ground beside Sasha he searched her face for a reaction, almost afraid of what he might find.

"Kewl!" she breathed finally.

Kurt beamed brightly, his eyes now sparkling.

Sasha watched him and all of a sudden she blurted out "You have beautiful eyes, too!" Sasha froze.

Oh gods! I didn't just say that out loud, did I? By Isis, I did! Stupid stupid stupid...

Once again, silence filled in the air around the two teens as both struggled with what to say next. By this time, the sun had now completely set, the light from the rising cresent moon shimmering across the lake's watery surface, and the air took on a bit of an icy chill. Sasha's thoughts were disrupted by this chill washing over her and she shivered.

"Perhapz ve zhould return to ze houze," Kurt suggested. Sasha nodded silently. "Vould you like if I teleported uz back?"

Sasha gave him an appraising look. "Will it hurt?"

Kurt chuckled lightly. "Of courze not. It vill be zo quick zat ze only difference you vill notice is ze varmth."

Sasha nodded her understanding and allowed Kurt to take her into his arms. She didn't know how and she didn't exactly know why, but she felt safe. In a moment, the pair disappeared in a puff of blue smoke only to reappear a split-second later in the mansion's kitchen.

"That kinda tingled," Sasha began, smiling slightly.

Looking around, Kurt saw that they weren't alone. Stacii and Bobby sat at the counter, talking quietly and both nursing a coke.

"Where've you been, Ducky?" Stacii asked, eyeing the younger teens.

"Ummm, no where," Sasha replied, blushing wildly, yet at the same time. She turned back to Kurt and whispered "I think I'm gonna go to bed, would you like to walk me to my room?"

"I vould like zat very much," Kurt smiled. Putting an arm around her waist, Kurt guided Sasha out of the room. Looking back, he saw Stacii watching them intently. Rising, Stacii followed Sasha and Kurt out. Bobby trailed behind her.

They passed the games room where Lorrie, Logan, Chloe, and Remy were making their way out. Seeing that Stacii was following Sasha and Kurt, Lorrie and Logan took it upon themselves to steer Stacii away -- to which Sasha breathed a silent 'thank you'.

"Nighterz Kurt honey, you too Sasha chicka... Bobert catchya later dude, night Stacii" Chloe said as she headed to her own room.

"Night, big sis," Sasha replied as she and Kurt veered off to the left while Chloe and Remy veered to the right.

In a moment, Sasha and Kurt stood outside her door. Once again Sasha became flustered, blushing wildly and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

Kurt watched her intently for a moment. "Vy do you do zat? Y'know, tuck zat little bit o' hair behind your ear ven you bluzh?"

"I don't know," Sasha replied truthfully "just a nervous habit, I guess."

"I zink it'z cute," Kurt smiled. The boy then cleared his throat and added. "Ummm, ziz Friday zere'z ziz big back-to-zchool dance going on," he started meekly "I vaz vondering if you vould like to go viz me?"

Sasha didn't think it was possible to blush any further than she already had been, yet she did. She lowered her eyes to the floor as she thought about the invitation before looking back up at Kurt. "I'd love to."

Kurt smiled brightly.

Both teens turned at the sound of Remy returning from seeing Chloe to her room.

Sasha smiled meekly, looked back at Kurt, and said "G'dnight," then disappeared into her room. When the door closed behind her, Kurt turned, and sprinted to join Remy.

"Sasha, my dear," Charles said from across his large desk "I have a little bit of a surprise for you."

Sasha clapped her hands together excitedly "Oooo, I luv surprises! Is it...bigger than a bread box?"

Charles chuckled slightly, "Yes, and smaller than a house." He pushed a small button on his intercomm and spoke into it. "You can come in now."

In a moment, the office door opened wide and in strode Betsy Braddock, better known to most as Psylocke. Sasha gave her father a quizzical look.

"'Splainy?"

"Betsy is the Head of our Student Mentoring Program, sweetheart. She has agreed to be your mentor during your final year of high school."

"This is, what, like a Big Sister program?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly "Thanks, but no thanks Dad. I've already got three big sisters. I really ain't in the market for another."

Betsy sat next to the teen "It's not what you think. The purpose of the program is to provide students with someone to give moral support, help with their studies, and whatever -- non-illegal -- things the student might need."

Sasha smiled slightly. "I like how you felt the need to emphasize 'non-illegal'."

"You'd be surprised how many times we've had that problem," Charles chuckled. "Now, off with you two. Go get to know each other."

------

All the students eagerly awaited the arrival of Friday evening. Throughout the entire week the girls preened themselves, carefully detailing their hair preparations and deciding on an outfit for the evening. The guys, on the other hand, waited with sweaty palms and raced to find dates.

When the night in question arrived, Kurt found himself standing in front of Sasha's bedroom door. The young mutant looked very handsome standing there in his jeans, a convenient hole cut in the seat to allow a place for his slender tail, and black jacket. He wrung his hands nervously as he debated whether or not he should knock. Steeling himself, he balled up a tri-digit hand and raised it to the heavy wooden door. Before his knuckles hand a chance to rap on the hard oak surface, it opened...

------

Sasha looked herself over in the mirror, her hair swept up into a swirl of braids crowning her head. She finished zipping up her dress, an open-backed black mini dress, spaghetti straps resting gently on her shoulders. "I hope Kurt likes it," she breathed, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She flicked her eyes to her bedside clock as the digital numbers clicked over to show it was now 8pm.

Sighing a heavy, cleansing breath Sasha stepped back from the mirror and moved around to the door.

"Well," she breathed "here goes something!" And opened the door.

On the other side stood her very nervous-looking date, looking more handsome than anyone could believe.

Well, hello salty goodness!

Sasha stepped out into the corridor, her dress clinging to her dangerous curves. "Hiya handsome!" she cooed softly, offering her arm to him.

"You look amazing," Kurt breathed, unable to wrench his gaze away from her very revealing outfit. The pair linked arms and proceeded downstairs towards the ballroom.

The pair entered the ballroom arm-in-arm. They had chatted casually on the way, and Kurt seemed a lot less nervous than earlier. The room looked marvellous, brilliantly decorated with streamers and various colored lights.

Sasha looked around the room, trying to find anyone she knew. Kurt spotted his good friend Warren with his date/girlfriend Betsy nearby and waved them over. "Hey guyz," he smiled at his friends.

"Hey yourself," Warren returned, his eyes glueing themselves to Sasha's dress, roaming over her svelte form on their own accord. "Wow! You look really..." His thoughts were cut off by Betsy jabbing him in the ribs.

"Brave choice of outfit, Sasha," Betsy interjected. "Let's just hope your family doesn't have a heart attack!"

On the far side of the room Logan and Lorrie watched the students. Somehow Charles had wrangled Logan into chaperoning the dance, and Lorrie had been gracious enough to help...not that he was complaining, of course. Logan would jump at any chance to get to know the tall blonde next to him any way he could.

As his piercing gaze made its way around the room, he swallowed down glass after glass of punch. Occaisionly Logan would take a moment to pull out a small silver flask for the purposes of 'irishing up' his drink then quickly stash it away without anyone being the wiser. Finally, his eyes came to rest on Sasha, and he sputtered, his 80 proof fruity punch dribbling down his chin.

"Uh, Lor, I think we have a bit of a problem here!" and he stalked toward the front of the room. Lorrie's head snapped around to follow Logan's gaze, and her eyes grew wide as she followed.

Before Sasha knew what was happening, she felt a strong hand on her arm. Turning around she came face to face with her eldest sister, the tall blonde's eyes blazing with anger.

"What, the hell, do you think you're wearing?" Lorrie seethed in a hushed voice.

"What?" Sasha replied innocently, crossing her arms in defiance "It's just a dress!"

Lorrie looked like she was going to bust a vein. "You look like a street walker!"

"Gee, thanks sis, it's always nice to know what you think of me."

"I didn't say you were a street walker, I only said you looked like one," Lorrie replied.

"And besides," Sasha continued, as if Lorrie hadn't said a word "I like this dress, and I'm gonna wear it."

"Like hell you are!" Lorrie returned, her voice quiet yet still bursting with anger.

"You're just mad that you don't have control over what I wear. You're my sister, and I really do love you, but you're such a power-freak!" Sasha's face had taken on a slight reddish tinge while she ranted.

Lorrie stalked away in quiet anger. Logan followed, but still watched Sasha out of the corner of his eye.

Sasha then turned back to Kurt, who had remained silent during the sisterly encounter. "Do you wanna dance?" she asked sweetly, her demeanor no longer showing the anger it possessed only a moment before. Kurt hestitated a moment, thinking about the minor disagreement that had just occurred, before returning the smile and nodded, allowing Sasha to lead him onto the dance floor. The low monotonous tune of 'Sugar Water' by Cibo Matto had begun to pulsate out of the music speakers, and it fuelled the dancers in the crowd.

This particular song didn't require much dancing on Kurt's part. His role was to mearly stand in one spot and sway in time to the music while Sasha moved seductively around him.

Lorrie and Logan watched the display from across the crowded room.

"I don't know what has gotten into her!" Lorrie fumed. "Sasha used to be so quiet and demure. After only being here a week she's changed drastically." The blonde looke at Logan, "I think Kurt has been a bad influence on her."

Logan returned the look with surprise. "I don't think it's Kurt," he replied "I've seen this kinda thing before with girls. She's just comin' outta her shell an' learnin' to be her own person."

Lorrie crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Sasha "I still don't haveta like it...and look at that!" she pointed to the couple. "That's not dancing, I don't care what anyone says. It's more like mating with clothes on!"

------

Hours later after the dance concluded, Sasha and Kurt found themselves, once again, outside Sarah's room.

"I had a really fun time tonight," Sasha started, casting her eyes to the floor.

"Me too," Kurt replied, and waited a beat before adding "I don't care vut your zizter zayz. I zink you look really nice in your drezz."

Sasha looked up and smiled brightly. "Thanks."

At that moment, it was as if time seemed to go into slow motion, Sasha looked into Kurt's eyes and he into hers. Slowly, Kurt leaned into her, lining up their lips to kiss, but his efforts were dashed when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the tender moment. Both turned to see Remy standing outside his bedroom door, barechested and wearing white boxers with tiny red hearts on them. The sight would have been almost comical if it hadn't been such a romantic moment.

"Remy et Gambit do hope 'e ain't interruptin' anyt'ing, petite?" Remy said in his thick french/southern accent. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at the couple.

Sasha and Kurt looked at each other nervously before saying a quick goodnight and retreated into their separate rooms. Remy waited until both bedroom doors had closed tightly before retreating back into his own room.

------

The air held a crisp chill the next morning, letting all who felt it know that winter would soon be coming. It was still early enough that most of the mansion's residents would still be in bed -- all warm and snugly wrapped up in their goose down comforters -- the perfect time for ritual, or so Sasha thought.

The youngest Xavier sister sat under an old willow tree in the backyard. In front of her lay a large, white cloth atop of which sat a bowl each of salt and water, a candle, and an incense stick already sending gentle wisps of its scent into the lightly hued sky. Around her, in a large circle, Sasha had arranged thirteen additional candles, each one topped with a small flame.

After taking a deep, cleansing breath, Sasha placed her hands on the ground before her and said "Let what I feel fill but not consume me. Let me follow what I feel but not be forced. Let me become the kind of soul who never clings too who lets go, yet loves. I imagine better worlds, yet work in this one. I touch, and treasure, even those I can never hold, and let me learn from all my losses. Let me out, let me in, let me see, let me be. A window -- maybe broken -- but through which a bit of air and sunlight comes."

Sasha waited a few more seconds before opening her eyes, feeling the energies of her surroundings fill every pour in her body. She then stood and turned, only to come face to face with Jubilee. The punk-haired girl stood quietly a few paces away, watching Sasha intently.

"What was (pop) that?" Jubilee said, snapping her gum.

"What was what?" Sasha replied as she began to extinguish the candles and incense before proceeding to gather her ritual supplies.

"Like, that whole (pop) poem-thingy you just did."

Sasha stood straight up and looked her fellow student in the eyes "It's called an 'Altar Devotional' and I would thank you very much if, in the future, you didn't intrude on my ritual time. It's a very private thing for me."

"Oh," Jubilee said slowly "I totally didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that, well, I've never met a real witch before and I was kinda curious."

"What do you mean you've never met one? Ororo's a witch."

"Yeah, but she never talks about it. 'Ro is very closed about her personal life, but when you and your sisters said you were witches I got an idea." Jubilee took a step towards Sasha. "Do you think (pop) you could teach me about Wicca?"

Sasha eyed the girl for a moment. "Wicca isn't something that should be taken lightly. You need to be sure that this is what you really want."

"Oh, I'm totally sure. I've wanted to learn for a long time now, but I've never had anyone to, like, teach me."

Sasha smiled "Okay then."

Jubilee mirrored Sasha's smile. When Sasha finished gathering up her things, she and Jubilee turned and walked back inside, talking very animately about Sasha's highest passion.

Sasha and Jubilee had spent most of the morning talking Wicca. Sasha had pulled out her Book of Shadows and began to help Jubilee set one up for herself. The pair were so engrossed with their conversation that they were startled by a sudden knocking at Sasha's bedroom door. Sasha looked up only to see Chloe's head poke through the slightly open door.

"What y'all up t' in here? Ya're missing lunch."

"It can't be lunch already?" Sasha said, looking at her bedside clock. "We got so wrapped up in what we were doing we lost all track of time."

"Time flies, huh?" Jubilee smiled.

Sasha and Jubilee followed Chloe back through the mansion, past the dorms and the games room, past the infirmary and class rooms, towards the kitchen. All the while, the pair continued to discuss their newfound commonality.

When the trio entered the kitchen all motion seemed to stop. This greatly disturbed Sasha, never liking to be the one at the center of attention.

"Well," Charles began, smiling at his youngest daughter "we were beginning to wonder if you were going to be joining us at all."

"Like, I'm afraid that's totally my fault, Professor," interjected Jubilee "We got a little wrapped up in something." Jubilee took up the vacant seat next to Logan. Sasha, however, hadn't yet moved.

The only vacant seat that remained was next to Kurt. Sasha waited a beat, swallowing hard, before slowly approaching the chair. From the corner of her eye, she could see Kurt watching her. Sasha, once again, became extremely flustered as she sat down next to the blue mutant.

"Hi," she said timidly.

"Hello," Kurt responded, smiling slightly. When everyone began to resume their former conversations, Kurt leaned in slightly and whispered "You look very pretty today."

Sasha blushed wildly as she tucked into her meal. A few seats down Sasha heard, rather than saw, Logan chuckling under his breath. It was obvious he had overheard Kurt's comment with his sensitive hearing. It was equally obvious that the man was getting a great deal of enjoyment out of her uncomfortableness.

------

The days rolled right on by and everything remained status quo on the Xavier Estate. Sasha, still feeling more than a little unsure about her budding relationship with Kurt, found herself trying to steer clear of the object of her affections while she tried to make up her mind. To do this, Sasha spent a good deal of her free time in her home away from home -- the library.

Sasha sat in amongst the stacks, in a secluded corner of the room, with dozens of books piled all around her, almost like a mini fortress. At the moment, Sasha was deeply engrossed in a large tome of mythological stories, In fact, she was so much into her reading that she was unaware of an approaching figure until it was too late.

Before either one of them knew what happened Sasha found herself face first on the floor. Looking up, she found a very dazed and surprised Kitty Pryde sitting on the floor next to her. Neither one of the girls had seen the other, and Kitty had fell ass-over-tea kettle over Sasha.

"Sorry," Kitty said apologetically "My bad." She rubbed her sore hip.

"It's not to worry," Sasha replied as she righted herself. "I know what it's like to be a little messed. Right now, I'm pretty much at 'fire bad, tree pretty'."

Kitty laughed slightly, then said "I'm Katherine Pryde, but everyone calls me Kitty."

"Sasha Xavier," Sasha returned, holding a hand out to Kitty -- half in friendship and half to help Kitty stand up.

"I know," Kitty replied, taking Sasha hand "I've seen you around school. I think we have English and Drama class together."

"I wouldn't know," Sasha smiled slightly "I've been preoccupied by other things lately."

"Like Kurt?" Kitty mirrored Sasha's smile. "There's not a whole that happens in this place. News tends to travel rather fast."

Sasha chuckled. "Good to know."

The two girls sat and talked, both discovering that they had so much in common -- music, movies, even the kinds of books they read. Sasha and Kitty found such a familiarity within each other that their discussion lasted through the rest of the day and well into the night.

------

"Knock knock!" Sasha chimed, opening Chloe's door slightly. "Ya decent, sis?" She peeked her head around the door. It was late in the evening, almost 11pm, and nearly everyone had toddled off to bed. Sasha herself was clad in a long nightshirt with a emerald dragon emblazoned across it.

Chloe sat at the writing desk on the far side of the room, a small overhead lamp was the only thing lighting the room. She too was dressed for bed in a similar style nightshirt, except hers sported an array of Disney characters, Mickey Mouse being in the center spot. Chloe looked up from her textbook, "I suppose I could spare a few minutes. What can I do ya for?"

"I saw the light under the door and was wondering if you had time for a little sisterly chat," Sasha replied "and perhaps a little snack?" Sasha opened the door wider to reveal a large tray laden down with two enormous mugs of steaming hot chocolate and a bowl of cheesy popcorn.

Chloe beamed brightly. "Aww, that's nasty, sis, bringin' out the big guns! Y'know I just can't say 'no' to chocolate."

Sasha mirrored her sisters smile. "Ya, I know. Ain't I evil?" She nudged the door closed with her hip and ventured further into the dimly lit room.

Sasha and Chloe shared a special closeness with each other that they didn't with their other sisters. Perhaps it was because they were really two sides of the same coin -- different in many ways but the same in the ways that really mattered. Both girls were sensitive to the feelings of others -- Chloe through her mutation and Sasha being a naturally intuitive person -- and both had felt more pain than anyone should be allowed to experience in any one lifetime -- one who was constantly battling a disorder and being continually ridiculed for it, and the other being -- pretty much -- the forgotten sister, consistently being shoved to the side or overlooked and feeling like she was always in the way.

The kindred spirits talked about many things that night; school, friends, but when the conversation turned to love, Chloe hit Sasha with a question she didn't know how to answer.

"So...dish. What's up with you and Kurt?"

Sasha blushed wildly and suddenly fell silent.

"C'mon," Chloe prodded "It's just you and me here, Sassafras. We've been able to tell each other a lot of things. If you can't trust me, who can you trust?"

"Well," Sasha started slowly "Kurt's a really great guy. I'm really getting to like him, but..."

Chloe set her near-empty mug down on the tray and looked squarely at her little sister, concern filling her voice. "But...what?"

"Don't get me wrong, there's definite wow potential, but don't you think we're a little mismatched?" Sasha replied. "I mean, aside from the obvious physical differences Kurt is really funny and spontaneous... and the way he looks at me! I'm talkin' massive sparkage -- as if he sees no other girl in the world than me. No guy has ever looked at me like that before."

"I may not know Kurt very well, but he strikes me as the kinda guy who doesn't care about looks. He sees the inner you, the one that's been holdin' you back from tryin' new things."

Sasha smiled slightly. "Maybe you're right. When I'm with him, I feel special."

"Ya, and they have Olympics for people like you!" Chloe quipped.

Sasha whipped the pillow she had been sitting on at her sister, both breaking out into fits of giggles.

Once the giggles had passed through both of them, Sasha took a moment to look at her watch. "Gawds! It's 1am already! I should let you get back to studyin'." Sasha stood and smoothed out the front of her nightshirt.

Chloe nodded silently and rose too, seeing Sasha to the door.

"Night sis," Sasha said, hugging her sister goodnight. "Thanks for the convo."

"No prob. Y'just remember what I said," Chloe replied, returning the sisterly embrace.

"I will."

------

Several days went by and Sasha thought about the night she and Chloe had their long talk. One morning, feeling very much like a new person, Sasha rose with the sun. Since she was the first to wake she felt the need to do something a little special for everyone. So by the time the others woke and ventured down to the kitchen they were greeted with fresh coffee and breakfast already prepared.

"This looks amazing!" elated Scott, giving the massive meal a wide once-over.

"It tastes amazing, too," Jean added, taking a bite of her blueberry pancakes.

"Chloe's not the only one in this family that can cook," Sasha smiled brightly.

Everyone tucked into the waiting meal, and Sasha greatfully accepted the comments she received on her cooking finesse. Sasha found herself sitting between Kurt and Hank.

"Your father mentioned that you were majoring in Psychology," started Hank between his bites of scrambled eggs and sausage. "What do you want to specialize in?"

"Well, I've recently developed an interest in Child Psychology, but I intend to specialize in past life regression," Sasha replied, tucking into her own breakfast.

"That's my girl," interjected Charles from the head of the table "Three medical professionals in the family. No father could be prouder."

Now, if only Stacii would find a little direction, Charles said inwardly.

"Really? Past life regression?" Jubilee put in, suddenly interested in what she would normally deem as boring, psycho-babble talk. "You believe in past lives?"

"I sure do," Sasha smiled "all witches do. In fact, in a past life I was a peasant girl in the 18th century, and the way I died in that life wasn't exactly pretty."

"If I may ask," Kitty interjected meekly, not really sure about how to word her question, "how did you die?"

"Burned alive," Sasha replied simply, taking a large swallow of her coffee. "I was fairly young and attractive in that life and many of the village men had taken a liking to me." Sasha chuckled softly "I guess their wives didn't like the attention I was gettin'."

"Don't you think that the theory of past lives is a little unlikely? After all, there are only so many people in the world," chimed in Scott.

"Ah, that's my Scotty-bear!" smiled Jean, interlacing her fingers around his, "Ever the skeptic."

Sasha shook her head "Not at all. When a person dies they won't always come back as a human. Many times they will, but sometimes it'll be an animal, insect, bird, reptile, and so on. That's just one of many reasons why Chloe has chosen to go into animal medicine," Sasha looked around at the Xmen. "It is also believed that we all tend to travel in the same circle. The people you know in one life, you will know in all your lifetimes. Friends, family, even enemies, though the roles will be different in each lifespan. You and those you know will always be able to find each other because your spirits will recognize each other. Reincarnation is one of the primary building blocks of the Wiccan faith. When Witches die, we believe our souls go to a place called the Summerland where we wait until our new bodies have been chosen."

"Fascinating," Hank exhaled. "Tell me, how long have you been practicing Wicca?"

"Let's see," Sasha said slowly, thinking "I came to the Craft shortly before my 11th birthday."

"That young?" marvelled Logan.

Sasha nodded.

Now, it was Jean's turn to ask a question. "Please forgive this question, Sasha, but isn't witchcraft the same as satanic?"

"Not at all," Sasha replied, sipping her coffee "and just an F.Y.I, don't ever let Chloe hear you say that. Witches take great offensive to such a comparison. We don't worship the devil or even believe in the Christian Hell. We believe that to give evil a name is to give evil power. Witches have no interest in working with, in, or through evil."

"Sasha is quite right," added Ro, who had up to now remained silent in the conversation. "Real life witches are vastly different from those you've seen in movies, on t.v, and read about in fictitious books."

Lorrie, Chloe, and Stacii took that particular moment to trudge sleepily into the kitchen, each one sporting a terry cloth robe -- Lorrie in yellow, Chloe in purple, and Stacii in white -- and fuzzy slippers that made noises with each step taken -- Lorrie wearing chicken feet that clucked, Chloe wearing cat paws that meowed, and Stacii wearing frog feet that croaked. Everyone sitting at the table did their best to hold back their laughter at the sight before them.

Each of her sisters grunted their thanks at Sasha for taking care of breakfast without them and she accepted the thanks silently then continued on with her conversation.

At some point during the conversation, Kurt's hand had managed to find it's way to her thigh. She had nearly jumped at the sensations it created, but managed to mask it under the guise of shifting her weight. Sasha cast several quick glances Kurt's way, hoping that her nervousness wasn't apparent.

The Xmen continued to fire questions at Sasha throughout the remaider of the meal, and she tried her damndest at keeping the emotions Kurt's touch elicted a secret, especially when his tri-digit hand began to gently squeeze her thigh.

Later, when the others had all excused themselves from the table leaving Sasha and Kurt alone in the kitchen for clean up, she confronted him.

"Not that I'm complaining," Sasha began slowly, picking up yet another dirty plate and placed it in the warm soapy water "but what exactly was that hand-thigh thingy during breakfast all about?"

Kurt shrugged, drying a glass "Ven you ztarted talking about your religion you became very pazzionate. I had an overvelming urge to touch you. I do hope I vazn't out of line."

Sasha looked at Kurt for a moment. She dried her hands on the apron she wore and turned to him. After taking both the glass and towel out of his hands, Sasha stood so close to the Bavarian that she could feel his warm breath wash over her. Lightly, Sasha traced her fingertips over the tattoos that ran all over Kurt's face. She ran her hands around the curve of his pointed ears, traced down his jawline, and brushed her fingers over his lips. All the while, she could feel Kurt shiver under her touch. When she leaned in to plant a kiss on Kurt's soft lips she halted suddenly, hearing the sounds of someone entering the kitchen. Quickly the pair pulled apart and whirled around only to see Logan walk back in.

"I forgot my...keys," he said slowly, noticing the tension that permeated that air. "Did I interrupt something?" Logan added with a slight smirk.

"No, not at all," Kurt quickly offered, returning to his previous task.

Logan flicked his eyes between the two teens. "Uh-huh... yeah... okay," he replied slowly as he reached across the table and snatched up his keys.

In a moment, Sasha and Kurt found themselves alone once again.

"Phew," Kurt exhaled heavily "zat vaz cloze."

"Tell me about it," Sasha agreed.

Silence filled the room as the pair quickly finished up the dishes. When the water was let out and the dishes were put away, Sasha began to make her way out of the kitchen, stopping only briefly at the doorway. She turned to look at Kurt, who was now staring out the kitchen window.

"Feel free to touch me anytime," she said, then disappeared into the hall. Kurt turned to look at the empty space Sasha's lithe form had occupied only a moment before.

A smiled grew on the boy's face. "YES!" he shouted in excitement, jumping in the air.

------

As the days wore on not a single soul had seen hide nor hair of Chloe, even Stacii was barely around but Chloe herself was unseen and unheard entirely. The gaity in the house dwindled to such a point that Logan and Remy were wearing on each others nerves more rapidly than normal. At one point a fist fight had even broke out in the livingroom between the two men over the last beer in the fridge and it was only resolved when Lorrie promised to go pick up more.

The sisters explained that this was normal for Chloe to disappear for days at a time, but not to worry, for come Friday evening she would reappear again in all her glory.

When Remy mentioned that he and Chloe had a date for the coming weekend, Jubilee was the first to speak up.

"Way to go Gumbo!" she squealed and snapped her gum happily

"Woo hoo... YAY! ...Ok now we FINALLY get t' meddle in Chloe's life," Lorrie elated. "Wanna go over the top with her really big time Remy?"

"Sure femmes wad idea's you 'ave"

"She loves white roses, lavender lilacs, and yellow daisies, not the white daisies though... and she is a majorly serious chocoholic... we'll save the big guns for a later time. For now, thats a start" Sasha informed him. The entire room fell into fits of hysterics.

"What's this big gun?" Piotr asked.

"Oh well, we may as well say. Not like it's a huge secret," Lorrie said "Ok...ever notice all the jewelry she wears?"

"That jewelry is all real!" Sasha added.

"Remy et Gambit know 'bout jewels, an' knew it all real" Remy told the girls.

"Then you know diamonds are that girl's best friend!" Lorrie interjected with a smile. The room once again exploded into laughter. Rationally, they all knew that Chloe definitely wasn't the shallow one of the sisters, but it was the simple fondness all girls have for jewelry.

"Girls' don't worry... if Remy knows anything... it's how to win a girl's heart big-time," Logan told them.

Sasha all-at-once became serious and, in one of her rare moments that she became forceful, said "Then let Remy know this, if he hurts her in any which way or fashion we girls will personally kill him! Lorrie, Stacii an' I can handle that stuff, but when Chloe falls in love...she falls hard, fast, completely, hopelessly, an' devotedly. For her it's an always an' forever kinda thing. She puts herself all into it, an' wears her heart on her sleeve 24/7. T' play her you may as well rip her heart out an' show it t' her as it takes its last an' final beats in your hand. Just t' mess with her emotionally would just be doing exactly that. Just so you know, before anything gets seriously started, now is your only time t' back out."

Remy stared blankly at Sasha for a moment when she finished her rant, as did all the other Xmen.

"But Remy... let us girls tell ya this much, believe us when we tell you -- cuz we've seen her do this -- in her eyes you'll be godly and she will prove it t' you daily. She will go t' no absolute ends t' prove it, too," Lorrie added. Sasha nodded emphatically.

"Remy 'as no intention o' 'urting 'er, 'e'd nev'r dream o' it" Remy replied, clearly trying to set the girls minds at ease.

------

Friday afternoon came quicker than Sasha ever believed possible, but having Kurt with her, as well as her newfound friendships with Kitty, Jubilee, and Betsy, eased the shock somewhat.

At this particular moment, Sasha and Kurt sat out on the front porch. Kurt lay in the hammock that someone, possibly Logan, had stretched between two pillars. Sasha laid next to him, her head resting gently on his chest. Their fingers interlaced one another and, as she listened to the beating of his heart, Sasha said, "Tell me about yourself."

"I hardly knov vere to begin," he replied meakly.

"Well, at times like this, it's generally good to start at the beginning."

"Very vell," he replied. His dark eyes took on a far away look, as if he were looking into the distant past. "I vaz born in ze Bavarian Alpz, I'm not entirely zure vere, juzt az you ze me nov. My teleportation pover did not appear until puberty. A voman named Margali Zzardoz, a zorcerezz and gypzy kvueen, found me in a roadzide zhelter ven I vaz barely von hour old. Zhe found my father, Eric Vagner, dead of a heart attack on ze road outzide. Margali zaid my mother vaz lying next to me dying, but I've never been able to prove it. Anyvay, I vaz raized in a zmall Bavarian circuz vere Margali vorked as a fortuneteller as a "cover" for her activitiez az a zorcerezz. I vaz never legally adopted by anyvon, but vaz raized by all ze memberz of ze circuz, vho had no prejudicez against 'freakz.'" Kurt said this last word with a touch of malice in his voice.

"Margali acted az my unofficial fozter mother. My bezt friendz vere Margali'z natural children Ztefan and Jimaine. Long before my teleportation pover emerged, I had a tremendouz natural agility, and it vazn't long before I vaz ze circuz' ztar acrobat. Audiencez azzumed zat I vaz a normal-looking human vearing a demon-like coztume. Ven ze circuz vaz bought by a Texaz millionaire named Arnoz Jardine, ovner of a larger circuz in Florida, he moved ze bezt actz to hiz American circuz. Ven he demanded zat I be placed in ze circuz' freak zhov I vaz appalled. I kvit and made my vay towardz Vinzeldorf, Germany, vere Ztefan vaz.

Ven I arrived I dizcovered zat Ztefan had gone mad and had brutally slain Zeveral children. Tvo nightz after leaving ze circuz, I found Ztefan and fought him, hoping to stop hiz rampage. In ze courze of ze ztruggle, I accidentally broke Ztefan'z neck. Ven ze villagerz dizcovered me, zey azzumed I vaz a demon. Zey zought I vaz rezponzible for ze child killingz. Zey vere about to kill me ven zey vere all pzionically paralyzed by Profezzor Xavier. He had come to recruit me into ze X-Men. I agreed to join ze group, but before ve left for America, I returned to ze Bavarian circuz zo zat I could explain to Margali about Ztefan'z death. Zhe held me rezponzible for murdering Ztefan, but later, zhe learned ze truz and ve reconciled. I vaz alzo happy to be reunited viz Jimaine. Zhe nov livez in ze United Ztatez under a fake name. I took on ze codename Nightcravler and became a member of ze X-Men."

Sasha listened to Kurt's story in quiet reflection. When he finished, she tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. "You've had such a full life even though you're so young. It must seem boring to you now that you're in such a quiet place."

"Luv, ziz place iz far from kviet," he chuckled softly.

Sasha looked up into Kurt's eyes, a shy expression shrouding her features. "Uhh, Kurt," she started slowly, blushing wildly "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Of courze, my zveet."

Sasha paused, trying to figure out how to word her question without dying from embarrassment. "What kinds of things can you do with your tail?"

"Oh, all kindz of zingz. I can grazp objectz, zuzpend myzelf from high..." Kurt let the thought trail off as the sudden realization of the meaning of the question hit him. "Oh, you mean naughty zingz!"

Sasha nodded her head and blushed wildly. Kurt smiled at her reaction before rolling onto one hip and pulling his tail out of his trousers. Kurt cast a wary look around, made a circle with his thumb and index finger and proceeded to answer Sasha's question. She watched on in quiet fascination and squealed. After a moment, Kurt put his tail away.

"Flexible, prehenzil, and -- most importantly -- unloaded. Ze ultimate tool in zafe zex," Kurt added with a smile.

"That was so..." Sasha said slowly "tittilating!" She smiled.

Kurt lost himself in Sasha's baby blue eyes. Each time the two of them started to get a little something going on, something always happened that caused it to come to a grinding halt. This time, Kurt was determined that they would not be interrupted. Taking her delicately chisled face into his three-pronged hands, Kurt lower his lips onto hers.

Sasha felt an electric shock shoot through her body, not overly surprised by Kurt's advances, and melted into his touch, letting the moment overtake her. Sliding her arm around his waist, Sasha shuddered with anticipation. She could feel Kurt's warm breath wash over her. Their lips tenderly brushed each other. Her hands snaked up to cradle his head and she deepened the kiss, taking in his essence. Sasha explored every inch of his mouth that he would allow. Kurt did not resist.

The lovebirds lost themselves in each other, neither one hearing the approach of an interloper from within the house.

"Ah, young love," came a mysterious, yet oddly familiar, voice. The pair stopped in mid-kiss and looked toward the house. Clustered around the patio door stood Chloe, Remy, Lorrie, and Logan. Chloe was smiling like a cheshire cat. "You are sooooo busted," she chimed.

Sasha scowled, grabbed ahold of the pillow beneath Kurt's head, and whiped it at her sister. This served only to elicit fits of laughter from the onlookers.

After extracting Kurt and herself from the hammock, the two of them approached the group hand-in-hand. Sasha looked Chloe squarely in the eye and said, "Do not upset me, Chloe, I'm runnin outta places t' hide the bodies!" Sasha marched passed her sister, with Kurt in tow. Chloe giggled as only she could and followed, the other Xmen trailing in her wake.

Later that day, everyone congrugated in the kitchen watching as Remy took over the cooking duties. Sasha and Kurt tuned the others out, preferring instead to sit together quietly in a corner and just hold each other. Sasha felt great relief that she had finally succumbed to her feelings towards Kurt and could feel an odd sereneness fill her being. Sasha was so wrapped up in enjoying the peace she felt within herself that she really only half listened to the coversation on the far side of the room.

When Remy produced several crayfish and began to prepare them to be cooked. Sasha was jousled out of her reverie by Chloe's squeal of disapproval.

"Noooo! Not the wittle cutey lobster-like thingies? I wanted t' play with them... they were so adorable... you big ole meanie!" she said to Remy and pouted with damp eyes. She snatched the last remaining crayfish from Remy. "No! this one we're settin' free!"

"Care Bear... Remy already killed it" Sasha spoke up for the first time. Chloe's head snapped around to Remy who gave her an apologetic look.

"Then we're burying it ... now! And guess who's digging!" Chloe said, looking hard at Remy.

"She's kidding right" Bobby interjected. Lorrie, Sasha, and Stacii shook their heads solemnly.

"It's one thing if the food comes in the house already dead, but if it shows up alive... it's leaving that way or getting buried" Lorrie replied.

Remy tried to calm Chloe, who was already on the verge of tears, attempting to explain the concept of the creatures passing. Eventually, Remy found it was a fruitless effort. He smiled softly and gave in to holding a funeral for the desceased crustation.

The ceremony lasted only a few minutes and the crayfish was laid to rest with an waterfront view. Upon returning to the kitchen, Chloe chimed "Cute crayfish is at peace now."

"It woulda looked better in pieces on the dinner table" Stacii said callously. Chloe's head spun around and gave Stacii a nasty look.

"Stacii, your so insensitive! How you manage t' stay alive with no heart is completely beyond me! I spend all week, every week -- an' have for some years now -- savin' an' patchin' up critters an' I won't have one deliberately killed in m' presence for any reason. If it's slaughtered for food it better arrive here already good an' dead an' very beyond m' capabilities t' repair it. Only then can it be cooked!" Chloe replied defensively.

"Oh, I gotta heart... I'm just smart enough t' know when t' not let dinner escape."

Chloe gasped a lil and bit her quivering lip. Stacii had dealt a low blow referring to Chloe's debilitating disorder the way she had, and they all knew it. Chloe burst into hard tears and flew from of the kitchen.

"'Eh bitch," Lorrie shot back, "get your fuckin' head outta your ass, you disgusting troll!"

"You damn well know better then to go there!" Sasha added.

"Oh, fine. Geezus!" Stacii got up to go find her sobbing sister.

Once Stacii was out of earshot, Logan turned to Lorrie. "You were so right Lor, darlin."

"Is this what you meant Sash?" Jubes asked, turning to Sasha who had just resettled herself back into Kurt's comforting embrace.

"It's exactly what we meant," Lorrie said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Stacii has a really nasty habit o' coming at her and attacking her illness. She thrives on seeing Chloe suffering and in pain with her disability, an' well... has flat out told Chloe that because o' her illness she may as well grow old an' collect cats just cuz she has this slight mental set back o' confused states an' other idiocincricies she can't help," Sasha added.

"Stacii has told her she'll always be alone an' that no one wants someone with her kinda baggage," Lorrie finished, retaking her seat next to Logan.

A few minutes later, Stacii reappeared. "She's mad now."

"Well no freakin' duh, I would be! Now who's the slow one?" Sasha retorted, smacking Stacii upside the head.

"Eh! I didn't say she was stupid, I just implied she isn't smart," Stacii shot back.

"Well, if you implied she isn't smart then that would mean she's stupid. She obviously isn't if she could figure it out before you as opposed to your just figuring it out now... dumbass!" Sasha returned.

"Oh, shut up Ducky! Get back t' me when I give you your opinion."

"You nasty lil wench!" Sasha snapped back, shooting forward from her place in front of Kurt. It took him, Jubilee, and Kitty to restrain the normally quiet girl. The amount of strength Sasha displayed surprised nearly everyone in the room, hardly believing that such anger could exist within such a petite body.

"Enough! Sasha she isn't worth it, let it go. One day she'll shoot her mouth off t' the wrong person an' she'll finally get what's comin' t' her, an' she'll have no one t' blame 'cept herself!" Chloe said upon her return, wiping away her tears as she moved.

"You're so naive, Chloe," Stacii gafawd, following it up with a light sigh.

"Stop being so Evita-like, Stacii," Sasha interjected. "Drop the Joan Collins 'tude...spank your inner moppet...do whatever you need to do to get over yourself!"

Stacii, obviously unaware that Sasha did indeed possess a backbone, stormed out of the room in a huff, Bobby trailing behind her still bearing a love-struck expression despite of what just ocurred.

"You alright, my dear?" Hank sweetly asked Chloe, concern filling his voice.

"Come on, girly!" Lorrie coaxed. "Ya know what she said means nothing... hell sis, in a few months your going t' be the big doctor in the family! Even I couldn't pull that off. All I am is a lowly nurse... geez... and they don't let stupid people become doctors... 'side's she can't even figure out what she wants t' do."

"And you'll have your masters in music too! You got it all going on... looks, body and brains... you rock chicka and everyone that knows ya, knows it's the truth. So buck up lil camper we'll beat this slope together," Sasha added, chucking her sister playfully on the arm. The eldest and youngest tried to give Chloe the best pep talk they could muster. This set Chloe to giggling in the end.

"Why does she have t' be so mean an' miserable all the damn time?" Sasha asked to no one in particular.

"Cause she hates everyone, includin' herself!" Chloe replied. Remy had somehow coaxed Chloe into taste testing for him in an attempt to get her to focus on other things.

"Nah, she probably just needs a good lay." Sasha surprised herself when she realised what she just said. "Where did that come from? That was weird!" This sent everyone back into fits of laughter.

When the conversation turned to things hot and spicy that Chloe liked, Sasha rolled her eyes.

Gawds! This is the last topic of conversation I want to hear!

Twisting around, Sasha craned her neck so she could whisper into Kurt's ear. No one but Sasha and Kurt knew what was said, but he seemed to like what he was hearing. The growing smile on his face gave that away. As quietly as they could, both teens left the room and made they way through the dimly lit corridors.

------

"How long do the simulations generally last?" Sasha asked as she stretched. She and Kurt had decided to put into a little D.R. training before dinner.

"Uzually no more zen five or ten mintuez," Kurt replied, flexing his tail. "It dependz on ze program played."

When both Sasha and Kurt were ready, Kurt bamphed up to the control booth to begin the program then returned to the D.R. floor. In seconds the walls around them began to shimmer and shift, forming into a darkened cave. Two figures materialized before the teens. A tall, blue-hued nude female with firey red hair and a muscular man covered in coarse white and brown fir.

"Who are these two supposed to be?" Sasha asked, taking up a fighting stance in front of the female.

"Zey are Myztique and Zabertooz," Kurt replied simply, doing the same in front of the man.

Kurt and this Mystique look an awful lot alike. I wonder... Sasha's thoughts were disrupted when the Mystique hologram lunged at her.

Using Mystique's weight against her, Sasha relaxed into the attack, rolling into a ball and flipping the woman up and over her. Mystique landed hard on her back on the mock stone floor but quickly got back onto her feet a split second later. Mystique's form twisted and shifted, finally coalesing into Logan's muscular form. When Logan/Mystique came at her a second time, Sasha dodged out of the way, narrowly missing the three razor-sharp talons.

While she did her best to hold her own against Logan/Mystique, Sasha watched Kurt out of the corner of her eye as he did battle with the psuedo-Sabertooth.

Returning her attention to her own sparring match, Sasha landed a roundhouse kick squarely in her attackers gut. Deciding that it was time to pull out the big guns, Sasha stooped down to the cave floor and grabbed a handful of dirt. Whipping her hand forward, Sasha threw the sand into Logan/Mystique's face. She screeched as the dirt made contact with her eyes. Logan/Mystique was momentarily blinded. This allowed Sasha to shimmie out of her workout gear and begin to shimmer her skin.

By the time the shape-shifter regained her sight, Sasha had completely disappeared. Mystique changed back to her natural form, scanning the room in vain for her target.

Suddenly, a piece of the cave wall lunged out at the blue-skinned female. It was Sasha. Mystique fell hard on the floor. Quickly, Sasha trapped Mystique's neck in a scissor leg hold, twisted her hips, and snapped the woman's neck.

Sasha's chest heaved as she return her skin to its natural color. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins so quickly that when she felt a light tap on her shoulder her reflexes took over and she spun around to Kurt. Having dispatched his own target he was ready to end the program, instead he received a bit of a surprise.

The naked blond swiped at Kurt with one well-toned arm which he easily deflected, grasping hold of her wrist. She brought the other arm around to hit him from the opposite side. Kurt caught that one in the same fashion with relative ease.

When Sasha's mind returned to reality, both teens found themselves struggling to fill their lungs with air. For the moment, Sasha failed to realise that she was still sans clothes, and Kurt niether realised nor declined to care himself. Their bodies crashed together, each searching the others mouth for a tongue. Kurt's arms encircled her waist, drawing her closer, while Sasha's hands slid up to cradle his head, enveloping each other in the growing passion rising between them.

Kurt entwined his tapered, prehensil tail around Sasha's naked thigh, snaking it down her leg. He moved down her neck, kissing it as he went, until he reached her nape. Sasha gasped with excitement. She felt a rush of emotions well up inside her. Sasha kissed Kurt deeper still, hard and wet, letting her tongue flicker over his. Kurt ran his fingers through Sasha's long, soft hair as her digits traced his spine.

The pair pulled apart abruptly, gasping for air.

"We shouldn't do this," Sasha puffed.

"You're right," Kurt puffed agreeingly, then they crashed together again. Kurt, lost in the moment, gathered Sasha up into his broad arms, bamphed them up to the privacy of Sasha's bedroom, and laid her softly on the silk sheets, the silk caressing her skin.

"Zo beautiful," he purred, gazing at her slender form. With a soft touch his fingers nimbly traced along her jaw, down her neck, and out to the point at her shoulder.

It wasn't enough for Sasha, she wanted more. Taking his hand into hers, she pressed it against her ivory soft skin. His touch caused her to contract. Kurt licked at her lips with long, sensuous strokes, then slid the flat of his tongue across the pulse in her throat. He blew a stream of cool air across the damp path, causing heat to slash her deep to her core.

Kurt and Sasha gave themselves over completely, losing themselves in the heat of the moment. Both were inexperienced at this level of intimacy, and it was over far quicker than either would've imagined, but despite this their hearts and minds soared throughout the entire experience.

Sasha and Kurt lay on her bed, their arms around each other, their lips

crushed against one anothers. As they kissed, Kurt's hand roved over her back, then slid around to her chest. In the meantime, Sasha found herself fumbling with a button on Kurt's work-out suit. After a moment of struggle the button finally ripped free.

"Zazha," Kurt moaned against her mouth, wincing at the sound of his favourite lycra suit tearing. "Let me."

Drawing a shaky breath, Sasha sat up and allowed Kurt to devest himself of his own clothes. As he did so he stared at her bare body. She turned bright red.

"Luv," he choked out, his mouth hanging open and rapidly going dry.

Sasha laid herself back onto the bed, giving Kurt a silent invitation to proceed. Kurt descended onto Sasha, pressing her into the mattress -- his hands roamed and kneaded her skin -- as his mouth attacked hers again. Sasha responded passionately, deepening the kiss, as her fingertips traced along the curvature of his spine. Her hips laxed, making her legs to fall open, allowing Kurt to nestle himself in the warm crook of her body.

Sasha felt Kurt's growing hardness against her naked thigh and she shivered in anticipation. She felt a slight sucking on her neck.

"Oh Goddess," she gasped, her voice becoming raw and hoarse.

Kurt took that moment to rise to his knees, quickly divesting himself of the remainder of his clothing. Toppling back onto her, he buried his mouth between her legs, searching desperately for that hard little button. When the young mutant finally found what he sought, he lashed his forked tongue over it fervishly.

Sasha twisted her fingers in his soft dark hair and tried to guide his mouth.

Whimpering in pain-filled ecstacy, Sasha tugged his head back up and kissed him, tasting herself for the first time.

"I want you," she murmured, gazing into his dark eyes.

While Kurt maneuvered himself into position, Sasha squeezed her eyes tight, bracing herself for the momentary pain she knew would follow.

Finally when he slipped into her warmness, Sasha felt an electric shock shoot through her body and yet at the same time winced as he tore through her maidenhead with one hard thrust. It hurt for an instant, but the pain quickly faded to a mild discomfort.

Everything after this point seemed to go by in a blur, as if some unseen entity had taken over their bodies and they were watching themselves from the otherside of the room.

Later, when both Sasha and Kurt's minds returned to rational thought and realized what had occured, niether was surprised it had happened at all.

As the two of them laid in each others arms, much the same way they had earlier in the day in the hammock, they began to drift in and out of slumber. When they heard the call that dinner was ready, they worldessly cleaned themselves up, dressed, and joined the others in the kitchen.

For the rest of the evening, Sasha and Kurt were inseparable, sneaking subtle touches where and when they could. She wasn't entirely sure about what Kurt was thinking, but Sasha's mind lingered on the events of the last few hours. She retraced the events that led the two of them to the interlude in her bedroom. Sasha never dreamed that she would feel this wonderful after the fact.

After dinner, everyone retired into the livingroom. While Logan and Remy wrestled with getting a warm fire going in the fireplace, Chloe pulled out one of her several dozen musical instruments, this one an accoustic guitar. Sasha only half listened to everyone as she nestled into Kurt's chest. As her lover gently massaged her shoulders, Sasha's mind drifted in and out of the peaceful void between sleep and awake.

When the fire was finally lit, Remy and Logan took up seats next to Chloe and Lorrie. When Chloe began to strum the guitar strings, Sasha felt herself descend further into relaxation.

"You're not gonna sing Chloe?" Lorrie asked her before lighting a smoke.

"Chere sings?' Remy asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Nope she don't luv" Chloe replied as she played.

"Oh yes she does..." Sasha cooed, opening one eye, "...and has a kick ass voice too!"

"Very booming actually!" Stacii exclaimed.

"Ok, yeah, she does, but I'm not" Chloe confessed in a giggle. After a few moments of pleading expressions from nearly everyone, she finally gave in. "Alright... yas all win"

Chloe sang beautiful, almost lulling everyone into peaceful slumber. After a few songs, Sasha was so far relaxed that she had to pinch herself to stay awake.

"Hey Chloe why don't ya play the Christmas Carnival this year? Dad's been beggin' you t' come home at least long enough for you t' give a performance for ages, and ya haven't done a show in what feels like forever" Stacii said.

Lorrie gave her a dirty look, as if to say "You should know better. As if she doesn't already have enought on her plate!".

Stacii returned the scowl, which quickly faded when Logan shot a death glare at the brunette.

"Nope, I play for me, and I got enough in m' life t' deal with. I don't need the added pressure. Maybe after grad or something but not before. I don't have time now t' do things I even wanna do so why would I add on what dad wants. 'Sides he knows how hecktic m' life is right now anyway. I just need for the internship t' be over with, that's what's hard on me... pulling 12 hour consectutive night shifts, then music classes every day with lab time in between there. I'm seriously looking forward t' christmas vacation. I'll be out o' classes for 4 weeks but I'll still have m' shift work. Ugh!" Chloe told them, runnin' down her schedule for everyone.

"So why don't you quit something?" Stacii suggested.

"Quitting is NOT an option!" Chloe informed her sister.

Sasha, feeling the tension in the room rising, suddenly felt the need to put her own two cents in. "Me, I've never looked at myself as a quitter. I'm more of a...multiple re-starter," she mused.

This comment sent a barrage of giggles around the room. Sasha craned her neck to whisper into Kurt's ear. It was an invitation. Looking at her watch, Sasha then added "Well, it's about that time. Nighterz people!"

Sasha rose, and made her way upstairs leaving the others to their jam session. A few moments later, Kurt excused himself in the same way, though when he was out of sight of the others, the Bavarian did not head to his room.

Charles watched as his youngest daughter toddled off to bed. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, there was something that seemed different about her than earlier in the day. He had promised his daughters a long time ago that he would never read their minds without first asking permission, so he didn't pry...but when Kurt excused himself a few minutes later, Charles narrowed his eyes in thought -- and before he could stop himself, suspisions began to arise.

------

Several weeks passed and the inhabitants of the mansion went about their daily lives. Logan and Lorrie grew ever closer, Remy continued to spend as much time with Chloe as either one of their schedules would permit, Bobby continued to fawn over Stacii despite the sisters best efforts to warn him of Stacii's ways, and Sasha...Sasha and Kurt were nearly inseparable -- almost as if they were attached at the hip.

One lazy Saturday afternoon, the weekend of Thanksgiving as a matter of fact, the house was a virtual graveyard, not a sound could be heard throughout the house. Most everyone was enjoying the unseasonally warm weather, having relocated out into the backyard. Charles and Lorrie were the acception. Both sat in the kitchen, typing away on their respective laptops.

"Lorrie," Charles called to his eldest daughter across the kitchen table "Have you seen Sasha today?"

Without looking up from her laptop, the eldest Xavier sister shook her head, "Sorry dad. I haven't seen her since last night. Why, do you need something?"

"No, no nothing like that." Charles looked at his watch. It was nearly 5pm, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of his youngest -- no one had -- and frankly, this worried him. Charles had always been protective of his daughters, but it was Sasha he had been most protective of. She was his baby, and in his eyes she always would be.

Charles questioned everyone on Sasha's possible whereabouts.

"That's odd," Hank commented "I haven't seen Kurt today yet either."

"He was supposed to met us in the D.R. for some early morning training," interjected Bobby. Betsy, Warren, Kitty, and Jubilee nodded emphatically in agreement.

At that moment, Chloe and Remy had returned from their day o' fun as Chloe would undoubtedly refer to it later. She had an oddly serene expression on her face. Charles would've been amused by his daughters' expression if his mind hadn't been otherwise distracted.

"Sweetheart," Charles started slowly "did you happen to see Sasha on the way in?" Chloe shook her head. Charles frowned. Deciding to throw caution to the wind and deal with his daughter's wrath at a later date, Charles closed his eyes in concentration and reached out with his mind, searching to the limits of his ability...desperately trying to locate his little girl. After a moment his eyes snapped open and he looked to the ceiling.

"That's odd," he remarked "I sense that she's still in the house. I wonder why she hasn't been down all day?"

Everyone assembled exchanged a multi-directional questioning glance, each now wondering the same. Slowly, the group made their way upstairs, heading for Sasha's bedroom. In a moment they found themselves outside her door.

Since Chloe was directly in front of the door, she grasped hold of the handle and turned the knob. The door swung wide open and everyone gave a collective gasp at what they saw, their jaws dropping to the floor. In the bed, on the far side of the room, lay Sasha and Kurt locked in a lover's embrace and both sleeping soundly. Both teens were shrouded by only one silk sheet.

Bobby, Logan, Remy, Scott, Hank, and Warren smiled widely -- each silently congradulating Kurt. Jean, Jubilee, Kitty, Ro, and Betsy expressed varying stages of amusement. Lorrie, Chloe, and Charles were different matters entirely. Sasha's sisters both showed signs of shock, but Charles...Charles showed nothing but anger. His face flushed red and he clenched his hands so tight that his knuckles turned white.

Sasha took that particular moment to stir from her slumber. Before opening them, she took a moment to rub her eyes then looked towards the door. Sasha gasped, "Daddy!"

Never had one word woke Kurt up so quickly. Both teens shot straight up, doing their best to cover themselves with the thin sheet.

Charles seethed, his anger rising with each passing second. Charles looked Sasha and Kurt squarely in their faces. His anger prevented him from saying much but he was able to get out only four words.

"My office...ten minutes!" and retreated back down the corridor. The group at the door watched their mentor go.

Silence charged the tension-filled the room for several long minutes until Lorrie had the good sense to do something about it. Turning to everyone she began to usher them out of the room. "Alright. That's it. Show's over. Nothing to see here." When Chloe was all that remained, she stepped inside and closed the door.

"Oooo, girl, you're in trouble!" Chloe ventured further into the room and perched herself on the corner of the bed.

Sasha's face dropped into her hand. "Gawds!" she sighed.

"What were yas thinkin'?" Chloe asked softly, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two teens.

"We're teenagers," Sasha responded sharply "What do you think we were thinkin'?"

Chloe smiled slightly. "Point taken. Listen, you two better get yourselves dressed and get downstairs before dad blows a gasket! So get a move on it"

------

Charles looked at niether of the two teens, everytime he did his anger bubbled furiously. Instead, he reserved himself to staring at a spot on the back wall.

Sasha and Kurt sat in the chairs in front of the desk, both looking small and forlorn. Silence built up in the large room almost from the moment they had arrived.

He's not talking! Why isn't he talking? Sasha asked herself. Gawds, I really blew it this time!

Charles closed his eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

"A few weeks," Sasha replied meekly.

"Weeks?" Charles' eyes flew back open in surprise. "I would've expected this from Stacii, but not you. I didn't think it would ever be possible to be disappointed in my baby."

Sasha's shoulders sunk and she closed her eyes. He could've said he was angry or sad, but disappointed...that's just the worst!

"Zir," said Kurt, speaking up for the first time. "Pleaze do not blame Zazha, I vaz rezponzible too."

Charles shot Kurt a nasty glare, stopping him from saying anything further. "I bring you into my home and give you a place on the team, and this is how you repay me?" he said, staring hard at Kurt.

Kurt opened his mouth to reply but was quickly cut off by Sasha. "Dad, please stop! Don't attack Kurt." She stood and walked around the desk to where Charles sat. "Like it or not, I'm growing up, and you know very well this was bound to happen. Aren't you glad it's with someone I care about and who cares for me in return?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"And I don't want to get hurt. In case you missed the memo, I'm not a child anymore," she paused briefly to let out a cleansing sigh. "When I'm with Kurt I feel totally safe. Kurt is so gentle and sweet and loving." Sasha turned her gaze back to Kurt, her eyes sparkling slightly.

"Zir," Kurt said "I vould rather die zen let any harm come to Zazha."

Charles flicked his eyes back and forth between Sasha and Kurt as he thought about what had been said. After a moment, he spoke again. "In the future...try to be a little more discreet, will you?"

Sasha smiled, and leaned down to give her father a warm hug. "Thank you, daddy," she whispered into his ear, then moved around to where Kurt stood, took his three-pronged hand into her smaller, more delicate one, and strode from the room.

------

"They've been in there a while," Scott said, pacing the length of the livingroom and occasionally casting a glance towards Xavier's office door. "I wonder what's going on."

"Dad looked pretty pissed," Lorrie remarked, leaning into Logan as he wrapped her up within his massive arms.

Chloe stood abruptly, snatched up a glass that only a moment ago she drank water from, and marched over to the door. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she said simply.

"Wad y' gonna do, chere?" Remy asked, arching a eyebrow questioningly.

"Watch an' learn, darling. Watch an' learn," she smiled widely. Placing the glass against the hard wood door Chloe pressed her ear to it and listened carefully. The others watched in various stages of wonder and interest.

"Well," Jubilee said impatiently "what do you hear?"

Chloe scrunched up her nose in concentration. "It's hard to say," she said slowly, "but Dad is definately pissed!"

After a few moments, Xavier's office door swung wide open, causing Chloe to lose her footing slightly. Sasha stood in the doorway and arched a questioning eyebrow at her sister. Chloe merely smiled meakly and tried in vain to hide the glass behind her back.

"Problem?" Sasha asked, a slightly smile spreading across her features.

"No. No, not at all," Chloe replied in a tone as innocent as she could muster.

Sasha and Kurt pushed past Chloe and made their way through the livingroom and out into the front foyer hand-in-hand. In a moment, the pair disappeared out into the crisp evening air, leaving their slack-jawed teammates staring after them, each wondering what exactly happened in the office.

------

Several weeks passed without so much as one person saying a thing about Sasha and Kurt's little bedroom escapades. Everyone seemed content to go on with their daily lives and pretend that they never saw what they saw.

Sasha left her room one morning, her backpack slung over her right shoulder, and began to head to her first class of the day. As she passed by Remy's room, Sasha heard Stacii's voice coming from within.

"C'mon Remy," came Stacii's voice "you know you want me. Why don't just give in to your urges."

"Chere, please," returned Remy's urgent plea.

Sasha peered through the open door and held her breath, watching her sister as she tried to proposition the Cajun. Sasha gasped involuntarily when Stacii grabbed tightly onto Remy's collar, forcing him into a kiss. Sasha's gasp was loud enough that it caught the attention of those inside.

Both Remy and Stacii looked at the door only to see look of shock on Sasha's face before she bolted down the hall, running furiously through the house.

When she reached the classroom, Sasha breathed a cleansing sigh. She didn't want to think about what she saw upstairs, and she was certain that if she did begin to think about it, it would only serve to anger her.

Chloe deserves a lot more than to be cheated on, and Remy... Remy claims to care for her. You don't care about someone then do that to them. And Stacii, why does she always have to see the rest of us so damn miserable?

A moment later, Remy's face appeared in the classroom window. He looked hurt, seemingly filled with shock and disappointment.

Well, he should feel bad about what just happened. Serves him right!

Sasha's eyes glazed over and tiny droplets of tears threatened to escape the corners of her eyes. She wrenched her gaze away from the Cajun in the hall and forced herself to focus on her instructor.

------

Over the coming weeks, Sasha did her best to avoid eye contact with Stacii, Bobby, and Remy. Whenever Remy tried to talk about the 'incident' as Remy now referred to it, she would either stay silent on the issue, or she would try to change the subject.

Sasha preferred to occupy her time by helping Lorrie. Christmas Eve had seen the arrival of a pleasant event, Logan had proposed to Lorrie so Sasha was helping her sister plan a mid-summer wedding. Chloe had been asked to be Lorrie's maid of honor and she couldn't've been more thrilled.

Christmas morning in the Xavier mansion, however, was another matter entirely, and certainly a surprise to behold for the four sisters. Obviously, the men were awake first. Sasha wore her sleepwear down to the livingroom -- a long night shirt sporting a crossed out image of Barney. Below the image was a small caption that said 'Support Children's Television...Kill Barney!'

Sitting down in an armchair next to Kitty, Sasha watched as Logan and Scott sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the tree shaking all the presents while they waited for everyone to appear.

"Y'know," Sasha started slowly, leaning in and whispering to Kitty "It has always amazed me how quickly grown men can be reduced to the mentality of two-year-olds in just one night."

Kitty giggled slightly "I know what you mean, but this is nothing. Just wait until St Patrick's Day. I overheard Remy and Scott talking one day. Scott said he drank so much green beer one year that he swears he pee-ed green for a whole week!"

The two girls fell into fits of giggles.

In a moment, Charles rolled into the livingroom wearing a Santa cap and bellowing 'Ho ho ho!'. This sent everyone further down into giggle fits.

"Okay," Chloe piped up "what d'ya say we get this party started?"

"I completely agree," Charles chimed, and he began to pass out all the presents.

About half an hour later, only one box remained under the tree. Kurt reached down and picked up the box, reading the tag carefully. "Ziz zayz zis iz for Zazha." The Bavarian smiled and passed it down to his girlfriend.

After pulling the ribbon and wrapping paper off, Sasha's face turned beet-red.

"What is wrong, my dear?" Hank asked, looking up from the 'Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots' game he was currently playing with Logan. The small blonde tore away the remainer of the paper and held the box up, displaying a jumbo box of twinkies. The gift was looked at with various stages of bewilderment. "Ooo, twinkies!" elated Hank, smacking his lips.

"I don't get it?" Logan said, taking a long swig of his 'Christmas beer' as he was calling it today.

"It's a bit of an in-joke," Chloe piped up "Sasha's high school nickname was 'Twinkie'." Several people laughed loudly as Chloe continued. "Y'see there was this eating contest and whoever finished an entire box of twinkies won a pizza party for his or her class. Well, Sasha wasn't exactly the fastest eater but she was up against a group of guys so she was being so incredibly cruel. The guys were too busy watchin' her manipulate the snacks cakes...y'know, sucking the cream filling out and stuff. They were so mesmerized by what she was doin' that they weren't payin' attention and they lost. Our cousin David was there, he said he had had to go home and take a REALLY cold shower."

After Chloe finished the story, Hank just stared at Sasha. She knew full well of Hank's obsession with twinkies, and because of that she could even bring herself to look into the furry blue mutant's eyes.

"Why?" Sasha looked at her sister in desperation "Why are y'doin' this to me?"

"Because it's fun to pick on you," Chloe chimed, smiling.

Sasha head fell into her hands "Goddess, I'm never gonna live this down!"

------

Valentine's Day found all the couples off doing couple-ly things...the mansion was a virtual graveyard save for two individuals. Sasha and Kurt sat in the classroom designated for Art class. It was once the old garage, but when the Professor had gone through his redecorating phase and built a larger garage, the old one had been sectioned off and used as the Art and Woodshop studios. Sasha liked this room. It smelled of wet clay and dust, paint thinner and mildew, old hay and heather. The aromas made her long for her basement studio she had at her mothers home.

Kurt sat hunched over a desk, mindlessly moulding a lump of clay into what appeared to be a crude rendition of a bird. His tongue stuck out slightly as he concentrated on his work. The sight made Sasha laugh.

"Vut?" Kurt asked innocently.

Sasha shook her head, dismissing the comical sight before her. Sasha moved over to a large metal shelf. The girl got up on her tip-toes, trying to reach the bottle of paint on the top shelf. Kurt watched her struggle for a moment before sidling up next to her and helping. His fingers lightly brushed the bottle, scooting it closer to the edge, but the weight differential on the shelf became unbalanced, causing everything on the shelf to come tumbling down and all over Kurt. He could feel the wet paint and powdered cement sluicing down his body. "Aaaugh!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, Kurt," She said, stifling a giggle. "Jean must've left the paint lids off."

He glared hard at her. "Vut'z zo funny?"

She bit her lip. "You're about six different colors right now." She grabbed a rag and started trying to wipe the thick, mud-like paint off her boyfriend. "One thing's for sure, you're going straight into the shower. Some of this stuff can give you a nasty rash."

Kurt let Sasha march him upstairs to the bathroom. She was right, some of the glop was drying and started to itch like crazy. It never occured to him to lock the door, it wasn't something he normally did. After turning on the water, Kurt waited until it warmed up then got in the shower. This particular bathroom had a shower massage and the pulse setting felt so good, he didn't know if he'd ever get out. Kurt closed his eyes and stretched out his arms against the shower wall, letting the water vibrate down his back.

Kurt felt a pair of soapy hands kneading his neck muscles. "Zazha?" He cocked his head to the side, seeing his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't see any details but he could see enough, there wasn't a stitch of clothing on her. Kurt gulped.

"Now, now," Sasha said, knowing full well the effect the massage was having on him "You have to make sure you get it all off, y'know."

She ran her hands along his sides, soaping up his well-toned muscles. It made him shiver. She leaned into his back and took a deep breath, her breasts brushing his water-soaked flesh. Sasha swung around in front, ducking under his arm and draped her arms around his neck, rubbing up against him.

Kurt growled deep in his throat. He let go of the wall and put his arms around her, crushing her bare, wet body to his. They lost themselves in the moment.

------

"We're home!" Chloe shouted from the foyer, she and Remy moving farther into the hall. "That's odd?"

"Wad's odd, chere?" Remy asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sasha said she would be home all evening. I wonder why she didn't answer?"

The pair made their way upstairs, Chloe thinking that maybe her little sister was in her bedroom, but they froze in their tracks at the top of the stairs after hearing running water from the nearby bathroom. Pressing her ear against the hard wood door, Chloe listened carefully to the sounds inside.

"Oh, Kurt!" Sasha said breathlessly "How are you doin' that?"

There was a low chuckle with a tone in the young mutant's voice Chloe had never heard. "Viz my tail," Kurt said. "It ticklez, too. Vanna zee?"

Sasha gasped deep in her throat.

Chloe very slowly, very quietly, slipped away from the door. Looking up at Remy, she smirked slightly. "I think someone's havin' fun in there." Remy looked at her, puzzled. "Sounds like Sasha and Kurt are engaged in a little extra-curricular activities."

Remy glared at the closed door. "Mon dieu! Dat lil'imp--" The Cajun's thought trailed off and had grabbed ahold of Chloe's slender hand. "C'mon chere, Remy et Gambit got an idea."

------

He was gonna explode, he was absolutely certain of it. Kurt had been over every inch of Sasha's Ivory soaped-tasting body and was making a second sweep. Sasha grabbed him by the ears and hauled him up to face level.

"Kurt, honey?" Sasha said between kisses.

"Yes luv?" The shower massage was pounding him in just the right spot. Wordlessly, she reach down, her fingers beginning to dance along his shaft. Kurt growled and, hooking his hands under her thighs, pinned her against the shower wall. Sasha smiled slyly and wrapped her legs around him.

------

Remy and Chloe found themselves in a utility closet a few minutes later. Chloe went over to a large, cylindrical object. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Dere's a pipe goin' from da tank to da wall, chere. Dere should be a valve on it."

Chloe grinned as she located the valve. "Remy, you wicked thing! You don't mean t'give the hot-blooded lovers a nice cold bath, d'ya?"

He gave a flourishing gesture. "Do da honors, petite."

They could hear the blood-curdling shrieks echoing throughout the house.

------

"I zink I hurt myself," Kurt moaned quietly as he slipped his slacks back on.

Sasha winced "Don't talk so loud. My ears are killing." She wrapped herself up in her robe.

"Zorry," he whispered and kissed her on the forehead. She sighed and leaned into him. He enfolded her in his damp arms.

POUND-POUND-POUND!

They both flinched.

"Sasha Ann Xavier!" Chloe shouted "You get out here right now!"

Remy boomed, "An' Kurt, dat goes double fer you!"

Kurt stuck his head out the door with Sasha peering around his back. Chloe and Remy were standing there with identical expressions -- crossed arms, stormy faces.

"C'mon, Kurt," Remy said, pulling the boy through the door "Say g'dnight an' we'll be off."

Kurt knew that flat, seemingly calm tone of voice. Under his breath he whispered "I'm dead."

A few minutes later, Kurt sat on the edge of Remy's bed, the Cajun pacing back and forth before him.

"Nozing much happened," Kurt pleaded, rubbing his side. "Ve vere juzt..."

Remy cut him off. "It non all dat long ago Remy et Gambit was a teen, but 'e ain't too old non to t'ink of a few t'ings to do wit' a naked femme in da shower." He shook a finger at Kurt. "An' don't t'ink 'e don't know dat you were doin dat dirty lil' tail trick. 'E heard da sounds petite was makin!"

"Vell, you didn't haveta turn ze cold vater on uz, "Kurt replied "I've done more viz her zen zat, or have you forgotten zat lil' incident at Thankzgiving?"

"Non, Remy et Gambit 'as non forgotten...an' neither 'as de rest o'da house." He perched himself next to the blue mutant.

Kurt stretched slightly, "Vell, ze vater hit me right betveen ze zhoulder bladez, and I damn near dropped Zazha. My back iz killing me. It vaz all I could do t'get drezzed."

There was a long silence that passed between the two guys, and it was only broken when Remy spoke up.

"So," he started slowly "Gimme details!" Remy smiled widely.

------

The last school day before the beginning of March Break found Sasha eagerly waiting for the last class of the day to finish. She needed to talk to Kurt desperately. Finally, when the bell rang, Sasha was the first out the door. She jogged through the halls towards the garage where she knew Kurt would just be getting out of Woodshop.

When she reached the classroom, Sarah looked inside. The only ones there was Kurt, Bobby, and Warren.

"Kurt," she called, stepping into the room "Are you busy?"

"I'm never to buzy for you," Kurt replied, pulling Sasha into a hug when she reached him.

Sasha shrugged herslf out of the hug. "Kurt, please. We need to talk."

Kurt's face took on a half-hurt, half-quizzical expression as he allowed himself to be led to a secluded corner of the room.

"Vut'z vrong?" he asked slowly.

Sasha sighed heavily, searching her mind for the right words. "Honey, I'm late."

Kurt scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Late for vut?"

"Y'know," Sasha urged "I'm late."

Kurt thought about this for a moment, trying to figure out her meaning, when suddenly his eyes grew wide in surprise. "You mean you're..." he let his thought trail off.

"That's just it, I don't know," Sasha replied. "At lunch I snuck into the infirmary and snatched a pregancy test while Lorrie was on her break. Would you be with me when I take it?"

Kurt cradled Sasha face in his three-pronged hands as he thought about her request. Deep down, he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone. After giving her a featherlight kiss on the tip of her nose, he said "Come on," and led her from the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Sasha and Kurt stood in her bathroom -- both nervous and frightened beyond belief. The pair watched the minutes on the egg timer click by, waiting for the timer's distinct ding signaling to them that the test was complete.

Kurt held Sasha's hand, stroking the side of her palm with his thumb. When the timer went off, Sasha raised a quivering, unstable hand to pick up the test strip.

"Remember," Kurt started "Pink meanz yez, blue meanz no."

Sasha exhaled heavily before looking down at the little stick in her hand. "It's...it's..." The words seemed to stick in her throat. "It's blue!"

The two teens breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Kurt gathered Sasha into his arms and gave her a reassuring hug. She wept silently. Pulling apart slightly, Kurt looked into her teary eyes. "Vut'z vrong, luv?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

Sasha wiped away a few tears. "I don't know. It's just, when I thought I was pregnant I was so scared and now that I know I'm not I feel empty. Does that make any sense?"

"Oh luv," Kurt cooed, pulling her back to his chest and stroking her hair, "Zere iz nozing I vould love more zen for you to be ze mother of my children, but ve are young. Zere vill be plenty of time for zat...and until zen ve vill just have to be more careful."

"You know what?" Sasha clung to her boyfriend tighter "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to lean on."

Later that same day, Chloe had ventured into Sasha's bathroom in search of her sister's spare black mascara stick -- something she knew Sasha always had extras of as Sasha had a tendency to horde such stuff despite the fact that she barely wore a stitch of makeup. Sasha was what one would could call 'A Natural Beauty'.

As she searched the small room, Chloe's hip grazed the wicker stand next to the sink, sending several things tumbling to the floor. While in the process of returning everything to the stand, Chloe's eyes were drawn to the wastepaper basket -- to the empty pregnancy test box.

Chloe picked up the box, her jaw swinging open like a rusty gate.

The second eldest Xavier sister's mind raced with many thoughts, but only one was coming out loud and clear.

What the fuck!

After stashing the box in her back pocket she raced from the room in search of her youngest sister. Finally, Chloe found her in the kitchen, sitting in the large room alone studying.

"Hey Sassafras," she said as casually as her being would allow. "How you doin'?"

"Five by five," Sasha replied without looking up from her book.

Chloe sat in the chair across from Sasha and looked at her squarely in the face. "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

"Whooby-whaty?" Sasha replied, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Chloe pulled the pregnancy test box out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of Sasha. "Care to explain?"

Sasha stared at it a moment before replying, "You're supposed to take the garbage out, not go through it." Sasha closed her books and prepared to leave. "I have an elsewhere to be."

"Don't try to change the subject," Chloe chided, grabbing Sasha's wrist to prevent her from leaving. "Are you pregnant?"

"No," she replied simply. "I mean, I thought I was, but I'm not."

Chloe eyed Sasha for a moment, seemingly trying to decided whether it was the truth or not. After a few moments she released Sasha's wrist. "I won't tell Dad, but try t' be careful in the future."

"Way ahead of you, sis."

------

The arrival of mid April saw the arrival of a very special day for Sasha.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Sasha giggled as Kitty and Jubilee guided the tiny blonde through the mansion.

"Not yet," Kitty replied.

"We're, like, almost there," finished Jubilee.

In a moment, the trio entered the kitchen and Sasha was becoming increasingly nervous. "C'mon guys, my spider-sense is tingling."

"Okay," Kitty giggle "Y'can open 'em now."

Sasha opened her baby blue peepers to a wonderous sight. The kitchen had been draped in multi-coloured streamers and a large black forest cake sat on the kitchen table emblazoned with the words 'Happy 17th Birthday Sasha.

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled, jumping out from various places. Sasha would've been scared half to death by the sudden noise if she already hadn't been so overwhelmed by the sight of the decorated kitchen.

"Aww, y'all didn't have to do this," Sasha said, her eyes sparkling.

"'Course we did, idiot Your our little sista!" replied Lorrie, sidling up next to Sasha.

Charles approached his young daughter "My dear, Chloe's very sorry she couldn't be here for this -- she got stuck working a double shift -- but she wanted me to give you this." Charles held a small box to Sasha, which she readily received.

Opening the box, Sasha found only three things -- a little dinky car, a key, and a brief note. Sasha read the note out loud: "Happy 17th lil'chicka! Today you are no longer a young'un but not quite and old'un still this is a milestone, hopefully one of many that's still t'come. I know you've been itchin fer a car, and I wanted to be the one to' get you one."

Sasha looked at the dinky car and key in her hand and broke out in fits of laughter. Once they completely passed through her. She looked at her father. "Somedays, I really wish you had let us trade her in for a dog."

"That's not the end of your surprise, dear," said Charles.

Sasha looked at her father quizzically as she allowed him to lead her out of the room.

A few mintues later everyone stood in the garage and Sasha eyes rested on the best present she could've ever hoped for. In the center of the massive room sat a little sports car, a Canadian flag emblazoned across it, topped with a massive red bow. Sasha squealed in excitement.

"AHHHHH, I LOVE IT! My very own Shaguar! Groovy baby!" she giggled in her best Austin Powers impression, and hugged her father tightly. "Thank you Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't thank me, thank Chloe. It was her idea."

Sasha let her eyes roam over the shiny vehicle "Okay, who wants to go for a ride?"

Everyone exchanged a multi-directional worried glance. Almost as if they were one being, everyone but Kurt took a step back. When Sasha spun around to look at everyone, her eyes lit up when she saw that Kurt seemed to have volunteered. "I just knew it would be you!" she squealed, clapping her hands together vigorously.

Kurt looked around, everyone avoiding his gaze. "I'm just as surprised as you."

Sasha grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the car. Kurt looked back at the others and mouthed the words 'help me!' They all bit back a laugh, waiting until the car pulled out of the garage, screeching it's tires on the pavement as it moved.

------

The days wore on and everyone was getting more and more excited about the coming nuptials, and it was a known fact that several of the guys were secretly planning a bachelor party for the husband-to-be, as was many of the girls for the eldest Xavier sister.

One warm April evening, after dinner, Charles made a special announcement to his extended family.

"Next Friday, Chloe will have finally at long last completed her internship and will be graduating. I want to see that everything here is in order. I know how hard she has worked and I think she deserves to relax and have a party. Classes will be cancelled that day so everyone can prepare for it. My lil girl...our Carebear...I can't believe it!" Charles puffed his chest up proudly "With all the set backs life has dealt her over the years she has finally won and come out on top, she's a doctor...and with having her masters in music and is a professional there as well...words just are not enough." Charles grew teary eyed as he displayed the pride he felt for his daughter.

Everyone grew silent as they each remembered how little they had seen of Chloe since the day she arrived, knowing that Chloe had pushed herself to the brink of exhausion in order to obtain that which she most desired.

"What kinda spread would you like me to put on for her, Dad?" Lorrie asked, looking up from a stack of bridal magazines she had carted to the table with her.

"I'll have it catered Lorrie, we'll have all the students too... makes for a lot"

"Alright, I can call a caterer then, and maybe Sasha will help" Lorrie replied as Sasha's eyes shifted from her disappointed look on Stacii and Remy to Lorrie.

"Yeah I'll help, Chloe deserves a lot more then she's been getting. Definitely count me in!"

Everyone gave Sasha a questioning look, completely unaware of her meaning. Stacii, however, flashed her little sister a hidden, knowing smirk and Remy sighed hard and a hurtful look shrouded over his normally serene features.

"Graduation is at 1pm. Those who wish to be there when Chloe accepts her doctorite and is sworn in as a physician are welcome to be there," Charles said, making a quick sweep by the counter to refill his coffee before heading back to his office to finish grading papers.

"Lor," Sasha said, looking to her sister " Can I catch a ride with you to Chloe's grad please?"

"Yeah, nduh Sas, o' course. I expected t' take ya anyway" Lorrie replied, returning her attention to the magazines before her.

"Kurt you going too?" Logan asked his little blue friend as he too picked up one of Lorrie's magazines and began to flip through it.

"I vouldn't mizz za zveet zizter Chloe'z big day fer za vorld!" Kurt smiled to Sasha and held her hand.

"No prob Elf. I got room in the truck" Logan chuckled.

Sasha smiled back at Kurt. "Ah, that's my little Bavarian cream puff," she mused.

Everyone bit back a laugh at Sasha's little term of endearment for Kurt before they too began to make travel plans for Chloe's special day. Only Stacii and Remy failed to make any such plans. Sasha glared hard at Stacii. "Well aren't you going t' go and be there for our ever loving sister in her time of happiness and great achievment?"

Stacii leaned towards Sasha. "Yeah, she is my sister...I'm going with Bobby"

"Really? I'm surprized you remember his name!" Sasha said distainfully. Everyone one heard her yet was still unaware of what she was talking about.

"What 'bout you Remy?" Stacii smirked and looked at Remy.

"Oui. Remy et Gambit will be dere f'r chere" He said shifting his eyes out the window.

"Hey, Sas," Lorrie said, breaking the tension, "what do you think of this dress?"

Sasha craned her neck to look at the magazine, upon which laid a picture of a stunning lily white wedding dress. "I don't know, sis, I would think your body might reject a white dress." Sasha smiled slightly. Once again, the tension in the room was replaced by a barrage of laughter, and everyone fell instantly back into their good moods.

------

The week passed rather quickly, more quickly than anyone could've guessed. The mansion had been decorated in Chloe's favorite color. Everything from the front to the back of the house had been draped in purple bunting. It looked like Barney had blew up...and not one person had failed to mention just that.

Everyone who was going to the ceremony piled into the series of cars lined in the driveway. Chloe had gone on ahead some time before for the final dress rehearsal.

The drive into the city was relative uneventful. Sasha and Kurt huddled together in the back of Lorrie's van and, every once in a while, Sasha cast a wary glance to Stacii in the next seat up. Stacii looked very calm and collected, not at all showing any signs of her guilt over the last few months. This didn't overly surprise Sasha, but she had hoped her sister possessed at least a small iota of humanity.

When the cars finally rolled to a stop in the University parking lot, everyone stepped out and made their way to the auditorium where the ceremony would take place.

Once all the spectators were seated, the graduating class began to trickle out of a side door and into the oversized hall. When Chloe appeared, clad in her royal blue graduation robes, Sasha, Kurt, Jubilee and Pyro began to hoot and holler, showing their immense pride in Chloe's achievements.

Chloe flashed a blushing smile at the youngsters. Sasha smiled back then watched as her sister locked eyes with Remy, making Chloe beam brighter. Inside, Sasha's heart wanted to tear itself from her chest. Her heart ached as she remember what she had saw in Remy's room. Sasha wanted desperately to tell Chloe of Remy's unfaithfulness but knew it wasn't her place to say anything. Truthfully, she had no desire to cause her big sis that kind of suffering. Instead, Sasha resigned herself to watch in painful silence.

Sasha tried to shake the painful thoughts from her mind and tried to refocus on the ceremony. She felt her emotions swell up inside her when Chloe was announced as the class Valedictorian. Sasha clapped widely as Chloe stepped up to the pulpit to deliver her speech. Chloe spoke of disabilities and struggles and waiting to burst out into the world. It was very moving, never had Chloe spoken so eloquently.

Soon the ceremony came to a conclusion. The graduating class tossed their motar board caps into the air as the audience gave a roar of approval.

In a few minutes, everyone made their way out into the university's courtyard and waited for the girl of the hour to emerge. Kurt was the first to spot her.

"Congradulations," Kurt said proudly, wrapping Chloe in his well-toned arms and swung her around. Chloe giggle as only she could, but before she had barely touched the ground, everyone else had whipped out their cameras and began snapping pictures at an alarming rate.

"O my gods!" Chloe exclaimed "Dad this is, like, the very best day o' m' life. Talk 'bout a serious stress relief!" A sly, secretive smile crept across Chloe's pleasant features. "Let's all go get tattoo'd or drunk or better yet both! ... C'mon dad we can get you tattoo'd with a boat on your fanny that says 'the lovebutt'."

At the sound of this everyone broke down into fits of laughter.

"I do believe that will not be happening Care Bear, but what do you say we all go home. A party awaits you."

"Woo hoo yipee and yay me, let's book it toots" she giggled.

Remy moved himself to stand in front of Chloe and embraced her warmly. Sasha watched in silent anger, feeling it swell up inside her.

How dare he! Sasha seethed. After all he's done! However, Sasha said none of this out loud, having no desire to ruin Colleen's special day.

On arriving home, the party went on as planned. Chloe was obviously enjoying the food and music but eventually sleep finally found Chloe. She excused herself politely and retreated to the confines of her room. It wasn't long after that when the rest of the partygoers began to trickle off to their own rooms.

------

The next day, mostly everyone sat in the kitchen just visiting and whatnot. Most had splintered off into their own mini little conversations. The air in the room was rather relaxed, that is until Lorrie entered, still in her nurses smock, and began pulling out pots and pans. Anger was clearly radiating off her, but no one could figure out why.

"Lor, darlin', wanna leave the bottom on the cookware?" Logan smiled slightly.

"Whatever, Logan!"

Logan's smile faded quickly as he looked to the others, each one taking note of Carollyn's odd demeanor. "Something wrong babe?"

"Everything is just freakin' great!" Lorrie snapped, continuing her task

"Ummm... Lorrie?"

"Yes Logan?"

"Am I in the dog house? And if so, what did I do? Just so I know why I'll be sleeping on the chesterfield t'night" Logan asked, looking more than a little afraid of what the answer might be.

"Depends" She answered, her tone never changing.

"On what darlin?"

"On if you did anything to my sister?"

This comment caught Sasha's ears. She shot straight up out of the comfort of Kurt's arms.

"What! ...What are you talkin' 'bout babe?" Logan getting more lost and confused by the minute.

"Chloe is in a very bad mood, she's in a bipolar depression! That's why she has left everyone and won't reappear till it's gone! AND she seldom gets them, but something set this depression off. Now, I wanna know what, why, and who did this t' her...and I wanna know right now!" Lorrie fumed, her anger clearly rising ever higher. Almost everyone stared back to the tall blonde in shock. Stacii and Bobby chose that particular moment to walk in. Sasha flicked her eyes between Remy and Sandii. Both looked to the petite blonde, one looked amused, the other worried.

Sasha detached herself from Kurt's warm embrace and made her way out of the kitchen. "I'mma go and hang out with Chloe up in her room."

"No point, Sas, I went t' see her t'day, and she told me flat out she doesn't want t' see anyone!" Lorrie turned her attention to the Cajun. "Remy, don't even try t' get her in the D.R, you won't make it past her door. Just wait 'til whatever has happened passes and she's found a way to get over it, that's if even she knows."

"Vut do you mean?" Kurt asked, his thick Bavarian accent dripping over the syllables.

"I don't know either, but when Chloe locked herself into her bathroom when I went t' see her I found a note on her bed. It said... 'When the cat's away the mice will play'. It wasn't signed and I don't know what it means, but Chloe must have her suspicisions. Anyway, I recommend you stay clear o' her room 'til we girls can figure out what has set her off. None of you know how t' handle her in this state. Sasha, if you want t' take her dinner up to her, it's cool."

Sasha returned to Kurt's arms. "Kay," she said quietly. Of course, she knew what the message meant and she vowed to talked to Chloe later in private.

------

The next morning, the P.A. was heard throughout the school. "Would the X-Men, Sasha, and Stacii Xavier please report to the Danger Room A.S.A.P.!"

When everyone arrived, Bishop activated the door, allowing everyone to file into the control room. "We have a major problem!" he said.

"What is that, my friend?" Hank asked.

Bishop hit the screen looking down onto the Danger Room floor. On the far side of the room, curled into a tighly clenched ball and rocking back and forth, sat Chloe. Her face was streaked with her salty tears and rust-hued blood pooled out of her wrists and dripped on the cool floor beside her. Chloe had smeared her body with that same blood.

Lorrie and Sasha were the first ones to reached the doors of the Danger Room's lower level, and banged on the door furiously. Tears began to run down Sasha's face and her chest constricted.

Logan used his claws and made his own door in. While everyone else ran to the injured Chloe, Remy returned to the control room to shut down the active program. When he joined the others on the floor, Sasha noted his eyes had glazed over. Remy pushed past everyone and gathered Chloe up into his arms, leading the group to the infirmary.

After Jean and Lorrie patched up the distraught Chloe, everyone watched from various areas of the infirmary. Chloe sat on the examining table, looking small and forelorn -- not at all like her usual, boisterous self. Sasha sat next to her, holding her sisters hand in a comforting manner.

"Ummm ... Chloe?" Jean started slowly.

"Yeah Jeannie."

"Would you mind if I did a mental probe."

"Actually Jeannie, I do mind. So if ya would be so kind, please stay outta my head. I got enough rocks rattling up there now!" Chloe said flat-out, without expression. Her ghostly tone scared the X-Gang, none of them had ever dealt with this kind of situation before. The sisters, however, knew enough to let Chloe ride her emotions out.

"I really should..." Jeannie pushed.

Chloe turned abruptly, "I said no damn it! What part of fuck off don't you understand?" The X-Men had never seen this side to Chloe before. They just stared back at her with blank expressions. Lorrie, Stacii, and Sasha just took it all in stride, waiting until the moment had passed before reacting. Chloe hopped off the table and, without a further word, went back to her room. When Lorrie and Sasha opened their mouths to speak, Charles came in.

"You were all warned of Chloe's moods, and Jean -- her mind is to never be probed regardless! She has enough happening up there and things will change with her when some things around here are brought forth. Chloe needs you to give her a little understanding and some much needed care." Charles then lead them all down to the kitchen.

As Charles made a quick sweep past the coffee pot, grabbing a sandwich as he passed, he once again made his way back to his office but not before giving Stacii a death glare, filled with serious disapprovement and disappointment.

Surprizing them all, Chloe appeared in the kitchen for lunch. Turning to Jean, she said "Sorry for jumpin' on ya chicka, but no one analyzes me. I'm not a science experiment!"

"No, your right Chloe. I should've been more sensitive to your needs," Jeannie admitted.

"It's cool," Chloe replied quietly and went about her business.

"Chere?" Remy said softly, breaking the growing silence.

"Yeah, what honey?"

Before he could continue, Stacii jumped in, a broad smirk plastered on her face, and sidled up next to Remy. She entwined her arm around his. Remy looked at Stacii, his face shrouding over in a complicated combination of nervousness and worry.

"Guess what Chloe," Stacii purred.

At this point Chloe was in the fridge looking for something. She didn't see the expressions of the others in room, all of which showing various stages of shock and disgust at Stacii's display. All eyes shifted to Chloe as she turned around at the sound of Stacii's voice. As soon as Chloe eyes came to rest on Stacii and Remy, she froze stiff. Stacii's smirk grew wider.

"No, you didn't again?" Chloe whispered, tears silently creeping down her cheeks. Everyone's eyes shifted back to Stacii who was still nuzzling Remy who was trying desperately to peel her off his arm.

"Uhhuh" Stacii replied.

Sasha could feel the anger in side her burst for release, and she couldn't hold back her feelings any longer. "You're a whore!" she yelled. Once again, Kurt found himself having to restrain his girlfriend.

"Why, you fucking little bitch, how could you do that to her again?" Lorrie screeched at Stacii before turning to Remy "And you! We all thought you cared about Stacii and t' find you... you played her... who the hell do you think you are messing with her like this?"

Bobby looked at Stacii blankly, a hurtful expression shrouding his features. "I just thought it was rumors, I didn't want to believe they were true. How can you be so cold Stacii? I love you, why would you do this to both me and your sister?"

"Oh, get over it Bobby!" Stacii hissed.

"Wait...WAIT!.. ev'ryone, Remy et Gambit non did anyt'ing" the Cajun interjected.

"Aww, why are you denying us honey?" Stacii purred with a look of mock shock, waiting a beat before she went back to trying to cuddle him.

"'E ain' denyin' anyt'ing, an' 'e ain' intere'ted in you, nev'r 'as been, nev'r will be! Stacii you took advantage o' Remy et Gambit and, oui, you si'ter too! When she 'ad a busy schedule and you t'inkin' you could corner Remy et Gambit, mais it didn' work."

"I saw you two... Stacii had Remy backed t' the wall. That's all I'd seen, I don't know what happened before or after that, though," Sasha said, feeling a wave of relief wash over her at finally being able to reveal what she saw.

When the attention shifted back to Chloe, she slumped to the floor and began rocking herself back and forth, crying like before. Lorrie, Sasha and the other X-Females all came to Colleen's side, all understanding what had set Chloe into her present mental state. Everyone knew how deeply Chloe cared for Remy even though she had never let on.

"Chere, Remy et Gambit no do not'ing! Really! 'e only 'ave eyes f'r you, Remy et Gambit amours chere, an 'as been waitin' f'r 'er... 'e no want anyone else... an' MON DIEU! would you let go o' Remy et Gambit!" once again, Remy tried to scrape Stacii off his arm.

"Look, you can do whatever ya wanna, I'm not your keeper or your girlfriend" Chloe said flatly. "Lorrie, I need a smoke."

"Here, light me one too please, I gotta get dinner on," Lorrie handing her cigerettes and lighter to Chloe. Chloe lit two and handed one over to Lorrie.

The room grew quiet as everyone watched Chloe. Without a word, the dejected girl moved out onto the patio, obviously needing a little alone time. Sasha felt her heart snap in two.

I shoulda said somethin earlier! She chided herself. Why did I let it go on as long as I did?

Attention was then shifted back to Stacii who was still beaming, clearly thrilled at the outcome of the days events.

"Y'know what, Stac," Sasha piped up "You are the exact reason why some animals eat their young!"

"Fuck you, Ducky!" Stacii returned venomously.

"Bite me, Battleaxe!" Sasha retorted.

"Stacii, I highly suggest that you high tail it elsewhere," Chloe called from the open patio window. From the vantage point Sasha had, she could clearly see Chloe's jaw tense up.

"And why's that?"

"Because I have this over-whelming urge t' beat the crap outta ya!"

"That's funny... you can't fight first off, and secondly what ya gonna do, smother me with love, kill me with kindness, Care Bear, by using your seriously lame ass mutation on me? Or maybe your gonna use your doctorite and we'll have a battle o' wits, though I'll be battling an unarmed person," Stacii rattled off in mockery.

Everyone listened in stunned silence and, before anyone realized what was happening, Stacii rose two feet off the ground. Chloe had burst back into the room, grabbed Stacii by the neck, and lifted her up against the wall. In a moment Chloe snapped her arm back and heaved her sister across the room. This took everyone by surprise.

"You slutty lil skank, your nothing more then a disease!" Chloe spat.

"I maybe all those things but I ain't one thing that you are, whether you know it or not Sherlock, and that's a tease!" smirked Stacii.

"WRONG! A tease is someone who is intentionally setting guys off and not finishing the job, I always finish my job, unlike you, so fuck you Watson!"

"Well, if you finish so called said job you must horrible at it or why else would they be lonely," Stacii sneered.

"How do they have the chance t' be lonely when your hovering like a damn buzzard ready t' swoop in for a kill. You need t' learn t' open your eyes, listen, shut your mouth, and close your damned legs Stacii!" Chloe lunged at Stacii and quickly stunned her with a backhand that sent Stacii reeling. The room watched on in shock but beyond thrilled to see Stacii get her just desserts and to see some fire finally come from Chloe.

"Chloe, no one wants you! Damn it, you truly are stupid beyond words... you have and are nothing!" Stacii retorted.

"I'm slow, not stupid! YOU DITCH-PIG CRACK WHORE!" Chloe reared back and threw out such a punch it sent Sandii spinning back to the wall, sliding down it unconcious. Chloe tried to shake off the force of the punch and held her hand, blood dripping to the floor.

Hank stepped forward and took hold of Chloe's hand gently, turning it over to see just how black and blue her knuckles were. Jeannie got the stitches ready as Scott cut off Chloe's rings. She cried at having to part with her jewelry in that fashion. Scott apologized perfusely.

Remy leaned against the wall, wanting desperately to comfort Chloe in the hour of her need but and the same time not wanting to push her into something she didn't want.

Stacii had come too while the others were preoccupied with aiding Chloe. She lunged at Chloe but before she reached her Remy grabbed Stacii's arm.

"You've done more den enough t' Chloe and da res' o' you si'ters! Fur'dermore you gonna tell you si'ter da trut'!" Remy said sternly, dropping Stacii in a chair.

"Listen you literate old frog, I ain't gonna do fuck all!"

Before Remy could let Stacii have it, Chloe came to Remy's defense.

"You bitch!" she spat, and clocked her again, busting her new stitches wide open.

Setting to work at stitching Chloe back up, Lorrie laughed slightly. "You really got a handle on that whole knocking people out thing, don't ya Chloe?"

"Remy showed me how, purdy nifty huh?" Chloe said, giggling a lil. Everyone else found themselves having to bite their lips to keep from laughing themselves.

"Yeah, it is," Sasha praised her sister and gave her a hug, then added "Chloe, I'm sorry. I should have come t' you before and told you what I knew."

"It's cool chickaboo. Don't sweat the small stuff. I'm a survivor. It's not the first time this has happened t' me, ya know that."

"Awww, tear," Sasha returned jokingly, drawing a finger down her cheek, smiling.

"'Sides petite chere, Chloe, it Remy who sorry, 'e don' even know 'ow it all 'appen. 'E came back f'om D.R. one morning an' dere Stacii was... mais 'e was tryin' t' kick 'er out when Sarah seen dat she 'ad me t' da wall, 'e nev'r touch 'er! Remy et oui Gambit too would very much 'wear t' dat!"

"Remy, as I said before, there have been no commitements so therefore your free t' do as you please and whoever you please," Chloe said quietly.

"Dat's just it, chere, it not what or who Remy et Gambit wants t' please, it's you who 'e wants t' please!"

"Huh?" Chloe said, more than a little confused.

"Chere, Remy et Gambit 'as 'ow you say, falling in love wit' you, 'e 'as been since b'fore chri'tmas, mais nev'r said b'cause 'e doesn' know 'ow da chere feels 'bout being wit' someone almost 10 years older den 'er," Remy said, getting it all out in one long breath for fear that he'd lose his nerve.

"I don't think and or see anyone's age, I see their soul. As for the other, I don't know how I feel because I haven't had time t' feel anything because of work, but I know I've missed ya and I love hangin' out with ya, but that whole age thing I just don't get." She gave him a lost look.

"Remy," Lorrie interjected, "Chloe doesn't see peoples ages, she see's their energy and spirit, and t' her Remy your spirit is... well... just like hers -- the same age, so t' speak."

"Well... if chere approves o' Remy et Gambit... 'e 's wants t' know if chere wants da job o' bein' is girlfriend even if 'e knows 'e don't deserve 'er?"

"I'd love to, Rem, honey, but what about her?" Chloe answered then motioned to Stacii -- who was finally coming around again.

"Wad 'bout 'er chere? Remy couldn' careless, cept when it comes t' you, chere, only den Remy et Gambit cares real lots," he said flatly.

Chloe smiled and her sweet song of giggles came back as she hugged him tightly.

"Oh... well... isn't that cute, c'mon Bobby" Stacii said, rising and dusting herself off.

"I don't think so Stacii... I need to do some thinking of my own. I think, for now, I'm calling it quits between us. Sorry, but I think it's for the best," said Bobby, leaving Stacii slack-jawed.

"Fine!" Stacii said and left in a huff, making a hasty retreat for the proverbial hills.

Now that the Stacii situation seemed to have passed, everyone got around and helped with supper with exception to Chloe and Remy as he was looking after her injured hand.

"I think I'm gonna take some time for a vacation. No D.R, no nothing for a week. I need to finally unwind after all these years of pressure," Chloe sighed sleepily. Charles, who had reappeared just as Stacii stormed out, now hovered over the coffee pot, waiting for it to finish perking.

"Oh hey dad, by the way I'm gonna need equipment in the lab," Chloe said.

"Not a problem, my dear, whatever you need ordered by all means do so."

"Does that include a new wardrobe?" Chloe giggled.

"Yes yes, of coarse, by all means... what? You have more clothes then the entire Milan fashion industry put together! Your closet is like a department store!"

"Damn, I almost had ya! I was so close I could almost hear cha-chiing in the background!" The room exploded in a barrage of tittering, giggling, and snickering.

Sasha clapped a hand on Chloe's shoulder and smiled. "That's the Chloe we've all come to know and love."

------

Later that night, when the house was quiet, Stacii crept out of her room, a dufflebag slung across her body. With the belief that everyone was firmly emplanted in bad, Stacii made her way down to the front foyer, passing the livingroom in the process.

"Where are you going?" came a voice from inside. Stacii froze and looked into the room. A small table lamp flicked on, illuminating Sasha's face. "Where. Are. You. Going?" she repeated, punctuating each word as if they were their own sentences.

"What's it to you?" Stacii retorted. "Everyone made it clear that they rather not have me here, so that's what I'll give you...my lack of presence."

Sasha stood and took a step towards her sister. "We never said we didn't want you here, but what you did to Remy and Bobby and Chloe, that was inexcusable."

"Hey, I didn't ask for any backseat mothering!" Stacii hissed, "besides, Chloe was asking for it, acting all hit and miss with Mr Gods-gift-to-the-bell-curve."

"That is such a twinkie defence and you know it," said Sasha "No one 'asks' to be stabbed in the back. You really hurt her."

"Look, Sasha, when I want your opinion I'll...well, when I want your opinion." There was a long silence before Stacii added "Fuck this!" and marched to the front door of the mansion. Sasha neither tried to retrain her nor bar her way, she just let it go. A moment after the door closed Sasha heard an engine start up. She watched through a nearby window as Chloe's Hummer -- with Stacii behind the wheel -- moved down the driveway and disappeared into the dark night. A final chance for Stacii to 'stick it' to Chloe.

As she watched the vehicle speed away somehow, deep down in her heart of hearts, Sasha knew that it would be a long time before she would see her sister again, if at all, and a single, solitary tear trickled down her cheek.

THE END...to be continued in...Secrets & Lies/All in the Family

For those of you who aren't familiar with the pop culture references used in this fic, please refer to the following list for their definitions:

Backseat Mothering: unsolicited advice from a non-parent

Elsewhere To Be, an: another engagement far away

Evita-like: self-centered and arrogant

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty: a way of demonstrating low brain function after a draining day

Five by Five: feelin' fine; pilot lingo

God's gift to the bell curve: long hand for idiot

Joan Collins 'Tude: persona for someone bucking for bitch of the year; reference to "Dynasty" character

Shaguar: reference to the car in the Austin Powers movies

Sparkage: romantic electricity

Twinkie Defense: a lame excuse

Wow Potential: possible sparkage