Sequel. Please read Shadows.

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It was mid-afternoon, sun still relatively high in the sky, a group of teens set up camp on a sandy bank between a forest and a river. Among them were a small brunette girl and a lanky boy. The boy was playing on the river shore in swimming trunks while the girl was trying to arrange a circle out of rocks. The girl accidently was splashed. "Hey! Like, watch it, Kurt!"

"It vasn't me!" the boy insisted in a German accent. A large, brown lupine animal came bounding out of the water and shook itself dry on the shore, spraying both the girl and the boy.

"Rahne!" the girl shouted. The wolf-like beast bounded away with what looked like a smile on its face. The boy laughed.

A bulky man with black hair walked over. "How's the fire pit comin', half-pint?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Thanks to Rahne it's all wet."

"Vhy'd you build it so close to the river?" Kurt asked. Behind them, Rouge, Iceman, and Cannonball were setting up tents.

There was a sick, wet, thump as a six-point buck was dropped from a near-by tree into the camp sight. Many gasped out "Ew!" and Kitty even screamed slightly. A small, scrawny woman leapt from the tree and landed next to her kill.

"Good one, petit," a thick Cajun accent called as a tall man emerged from the forest with an arm full of logs.

"Dinner is served," said Wolverine, walking over to the deer. The woman with blood red hair manifested a black blade and began slicing into her prey.

"Yuck, Shade. Do you have to, like, do that here?" Kitty whined.

Gambit chuckled and walked over to Kitty, setting down his pile of logs. "Come on, I show you how to build a fire."

Wolverine and Shade butchered the deer while everyone else finished setting up camp. Wolverine was slicing off some steaks when the wind shifted direction. Shade and Wolverine froze, scenting the air. Shade looked to Wolverine for confirmation. He nodded, there was someone out there.

Shade stalked off into the woods, Wolverine followed. They had barely left the group when tree branches began reaching out. Shade evaded them and Wolverine sliced through them. Suddenly, a black tar enveloped Wolverine up to his shoulders. Shade looked over to him and was distracted long enough for roots to grab her ankles and branches to grab her wrists. She growled and struggled in their grasp.

A head and torso emerged from the tar. He appeared to be a boy no older than seventeen, his skin covered in a smooth layer of the tar. An evil smile appeared on black lips on a face framed by purple dread-locks. Another boy, around the same age, came walking out of the trees with a long wooden staff in hand. He had spiky black hair and wore a leather jacket. He twisted his hand and the trees tightened on Shade.

A few playing cards shot from the forest and blasted through Shade's restraints. She landed on her feet and charged the boy with the staff. Gambit and the kids ran up to the scene. "Woah, like, what is that?" Kitty pointed at the tar-boy holding Wolverine.

Cannonball charged the tar-boy. He dropped Wolverine and bended himself away from Cannonball. The tree-boy sent a branch to catch Shade's ankle mid-air, throwing her off balance and sending her to the ground. The two boys looked at each other and nodded before racing off into the forest. Though everyone was quick in their pursuit, the two boys disappeared. Shade growled in frustration. "Who was that?" Rouge asked.

"No clue," Wolverine growled.

Back at the camp, Wolverine cooked up the deer over the fire Kitty and Gambit built. Most were in their swimsuits, enjoying the river before dinner. Rouge sat by the fire, helping Wolverine, while Gambit stood on the shore. Shade walked along, waist deep, in the river. She disappeared for a moment under the water, then appeared a few yards down the river, blood red hair clinging to her head and shoulders as she made her way back up river. Gambit watched her cool off in the river till Rouge called out to everyone for dinner.

Gambit wrapped a towel around Shade's shoulders as she came to the shore. It had been a few months since Apocalypse. Shade had met Gambit nearly a year ago now. She was adjusting well and had come a long way since he had found her in a similar forest, though she was still trying to figure people out. Everyone ate and talked. Shade caught Gambit looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "What?" she asked, facing him with both mismatched eyes, one silver and one emerald.

"Not'ing, chère," he shook his head. Shade eyed him wearily then went back to eating. Most of the dinner conversation was speculation on who the two mutants in the woods could be. Eventually, they reached the decision to pack up and leave after dinner.

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Back at the X-Mansion, Professor X removed Cerebro's helmet. He turned to the roomful of X-teachers. "Cerebro has detected a new group of mutants recently come to the state," he informed them. "But there is no confirmation of identity as of yet."

"And they didn't say anything about what they wanted?" Storm asked.

"Didn't say a word," Wolverine answered.

"We'll have to keep our eyes open until we know more about their motives," Xavier said, with that, the meeting ended.

Gambit caught up with Shade as she reached her room. He stood between her and her door. "De night's still young, petit. Care to catch a movie?" he asked with a seductive smile.

Shade thought it over. "Anything good out?"

"Don matter, chère. We ain't really gunna be watchin'," he winked. Shade rolled her eyes.

"No thanks," she tried pushing passed him to her door, but he stayed firm.

He put a hand on her waist. "Come on, petit," Gambit said, giving her his most seductive voice and sweetest eyes. Shade narrowed her big eyes at him.

After a short-lived stare down, Shade gave in. "Fine. You're paying."

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Shade waited over by the arcade while Gambit paid. He came over and handed Shade the tickets. "Here, petit. It start in a few minutes. You want anyt'ing?" He gestured to the concession stand. Shade shook her head. Gambit wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the theater.

Half way through the movie, Gambit had his arm around Shade's shoulders. They were watching a spy movie and were at the part where the beautiful woman working for the other side seduces the hero into bed. Shade's mind went to Gambit as she watched the sultry scene. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and wondered if his mind was on a similar track. Her eyes wandered over his broad shoulders, down his chest, the flat planes of his stomach as he slouched in the theater seat.

Gambit glanced at her and caught her checking him out. He smirked when she noticed he had caught her and quickly looked back to the screen. When Gambit turned back to the movie, Shade suddenly felt bold. She leaned into Gambit and stole a quick kiss. His eyes widened in surprise. Shade smirked up at Gambit. He pulled her into a deep kiss, releasing a small amount of the passion he had built up for Shade. It had never seemed the right time to pursue Shade. After everything that happened that winter, he had waited for a while to let her warm back up to him. Then there came Apocalypse, everyone needed a break after that. That was what the camping trip was supposed to have been, but those new mutants showed up. Shade making the first move was the perfect excuse.

But, just his luck, it was short lived. The projector stopped, emergency lights came on, illuminating the theater in red. Screams wafted from behind the closed theater doors. Shade and Gambit looked at each other then bolted towards the doors while all the human patrons nervously filed out the emergency exit.

They were met to chaos and four mutant teens causing it. One with spiky black hair and a leather jacket, holding a wooden staff and causing three wooden tables to chase customers around the lobby. The second stretched himself across the front doors with smooth tar skin and purple dread-locks. The next was a dark skinned boy whose body was covered in thick brown fur, he threw an employee through a window. The final seemed to be the leader. He had wavy white hair and wore black pants, a white t-shirt, and a yellow wind-breaker. The final took a deep breath and yelled, sending sonic waves through the lobby, knocking everyone to the floor and tearing up the tile.

Gambit charged several cards and tossed them at the leader, blowing him off his feet. From the floor the lead mutant called, "Ramrod." The boy with the spiky hair and staff charged Gambit who pulled out and extended his metal staff. Shade leapt at the hairy one, taking him down from behind. Meanwhile, Gambit had managed to land a nice blow to Ramrod's head, rendering him unconscious. Shade summoned shadows to surround the hairy one and leapt away before solidifying the shadows. She could hear him pounding on the shadows with his fists and growling like an animal. "Let Hairbag out!" a Caribbean accented voice shouted from inside.

"Hairbag?" Shade said confused. But she was knocked to the ground by a sonic blast from behind her. Gambit was trying to neutralize the tar mutant, but he kept stretching holes in his body where Gambit threw his cards. Shade got to her feet and charged the white-haired leader.

He opened his mouth and shouted, sonic waves sent Shade flying across the lobby into the wall. "Shade!" Gambit called out when she didn't move. He sent a barrage of cards to the leader. The white-haired mutant was blown off his feet. The tar mutant wrapped himself around Gambit, trapping him. The boy chuckled but soon stopped short as he began glowing with energy. "I don' t'ink I need to tell you what happens when I let go," Gambit warned with a smirk.

The white-haired boy was picking himself up from the floor, holding his head. "Alright, no need to blow up Gorgeous George there. Hairbag. Ramrod. Let's go." The two boys filed out a hole in the nearest wall. Gambit released Gorgeous George who exited the same way his friends had. Gambit went to Shade who, was pulling herself up to kneeling, holding her head.

"Ruckus, you comin'?" Ramrod shouted from the street. The white haired boy nodded and left.

Gambit turned full attention to Shade. "You ok, chère?"

She nodded, "Just a headache."

"Come on. We better get you home and tell everyone 'bout our new friends."

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"It seems this new group of mutants goes by the Nasty Boys. Their leader is called Ruckus. He can absorb sound and send the waves back with immense force," Xavier explained to the room full of mutants. "There is also Ramrod, with the ability to control wood and plants. Hairbag and Gorgeous George."

"That must have been Ramrod and Gorgeous George when we were camping," Kitty said.

Xavier nodded. "That is all we know about them so keep a watchful eye when you leave the institute." Everyone was dismissed.

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Ruckus knelt respectfully in a cold, dark laboratory. He looked into the shadows before him. Red eyes glowed from the darkness. A deep voice rumbled, "Gambit? It's been a long time. We may just have to pay him a visit." An ominous chuckle. "But first, find out more about the woman he was with..."

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If you watch the original X-Men series or read the comics you'll start recognizing some names. I'm kind of taking a story line from the comics and warping it to fit the story. Things are just getting started so enjoy and please review, I'd really like to know what you think and I tend to put out chapters quicker if I know people are excited or like the story.