Every once in a while, Peter Parker enjoyed a nice day with the guys. It didn't happen very often, but every once in a while…

"Stop stallin' an' deal the cards, web-head." Cigar-smoke puffed out with each word in a room already blanketed in a smelly fog.

Unfortunately, not even while relaxing could Peter escape reminders of his life as a superhero. Wolverine, the scrappy Canadian mutant with the cigar, did not know the secret identity Peter hid under the Spiderman mask and nor did any of the other X-Men. It was an unavoidable part of superhero life, however, that the people a man got closest to were among those from whom he was forced to hide his civilian self.

Daredevil, the only hero present who knew Peter as Peter as well as under his Spiderman persona, flashed the younger man a mocking smile. "I smell fear on you."

"Actually," Wolverine corrected, grinning ferally at the young man to his left, "I think yer smellin' it off of B- er… Iceman here. It's a rather heavy scent."

"Your full of it, Log- Wolverine." Iceman grimaced, although it was hard to tell if it was at his cards or his verbal slip-up. While the X-Men had been struggling with calling each other by their codenames all day, Iceman's cards had been pretty terrible every game as well. A depressed look might as well have been drawn on the frigid X-Men's face.

Peter flashed one more quick glance at his cards. Daredevil was right. He had nothing.

"Ya out or in, Spidey?" Gambit's Cajun accents also came accompanied by puffs of smoke. It was a wonder that Daredevil hadn't vomited at such heavy assault on his enhanced senses.

Peter coughed and waved at the smoke billowing around them. "Out."

"Me as well," Nightcrawler seconded with a sigh. The German mutant gave Peter a self-effacing grin. "We have not been doing well this game, you and I."

"Tell me about it," Peter sighed, watching as Iceman once more decided to risk putting his cards on the table.

Predictably, the man was stomped down by Gambit. Iceman would have to play with credit if he lost much more money.

Gambit's cell phone rang, interrupting the relative peace of the gambling scene. Five superheroes glared at him through the foggy atmosphere of the room.

"I thought we agreed no phones." Wolverine's voice could have frozen lava.

"It's only acceptin' pages right now," Gambit protested, reaching for his phone, "only Rouge has mah pager number an' she wouldn't call it 'less dere was an 'mergency."

So much for peace, Peter fretted, as Gambit picked up the phone and dialed his girlfriend's number.

"Oui?" the Cajun said to his caller, "What's up, chere?" This better be good, his manner screamed.

"Y'all watchin' TV?" Rogue sounded distracted.

Her boyfriend was receiving some really dirty looks from the other superheroes now. "Ya paged me jus' t' ask if Ah'm watchin' TV?!"

Rogue put some steel in her tone. "Turn on CNN. Now."

Something about the way Rogue said that made Peter grab for the remote and turn on the TV in the corner of the safehouse the superheroes had rented. They could barely see the screen through the smoke.

"We're watchin'. Now what's so dern important dat…" Gambit's voice trailed off and everyone at the card table stopped fretting with their cards.

"All hell has broken loose here at Ryker's, for Magneto has managed to escape again. This time he has not only busted his ally, Mystique, out with him, but it is highly possible that he also being accompanied by the infamous Doc Oc and Bullseye. Magneto killed several guards on his way ou, and security cameras show him leaving with the mutant shapeshifter. Later in the day, it was noticed that Doc Oc and Bullseye were gone as well. The police have searched faithfully for the supervillains, but as all signs point toward the escapees heading toward Gotham, soon things will be out of their hands. Will the nemeses of these killers come forward to stop them? For the sake of mankind, one hopes so…"

Wolverine cursed, throwing down his cigarette. "One day! One flippin' day is all I ask for!"

"Ah think that Guy's Gamblin' Day an' Gal's Shoppin' Day are both out, sugah," Rogue remarked wistfully through the phone. "Jeannie says we'll be over in a few. Be ready. As soon as we get there, we need to head to Gotham."