Silence fell over the room. Everyone looked at each other, shock evident on their faces. Ororo waited and sure enough within two seconds everyone was shouting over each other, creating a loud unintelligible noise. Ororo sighed and looked over at Charles. He was agitated and clearly worried. Ororo slammed her hand on the table, quieting everyone.

"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions." She said softly. "I know I do too, but they're only going to be answered if you allow Charles to explain.

"How are you so calm about this?" Scott snapped.

Ororo raised an eyebrow. Charles cleared his throat.

"What I'm about to tell you happened years ago." He began. "You might all want to take a seat; this could take a while." There was a scraping of chairs as the group took seats around the conference table. Ororo sat at the head, directly across from Charles.

He took another breath and grimaced. "I first met Erik Lennsherr in law school. He was a brilliant student; sharp, eloquent." Charles closed his eyes. "He was embued with a deep sense of justice. His family had been forced in a concentration camp in World War 2. He was born there. It was the 60's and we were both very active the the various civil rights and anti war protests...Erik took it too far. The night before we were meant to take the bar exam, he and a group of friends had planned an attack on the campus police head quarters. It was after the Kent State massacre and even at Columbia, campus police were breaking apart protests and calling in reinforcements from city police." Charles closed his eyes. "People were going to be hurt."

"So you snitched." Jubilee said.

Charles closed his eyes. "He'd been making a bomb Jubilee." There was a silent hiss of air as everyone looked around. "He'd meant it as a statement; a means of bringing the suffering of the people in Vietnam to the United States. Of making the people aware of the violence they ignored." Charles sighed. "I couldn't allow him to kill innocents just to make a point. The war was deplorable, but..." He shook his head. "He was expelled. I never saw him after that; he...dropped off the map, but not after swearing he'd make me pay for ruining his life."

Everyone looked at each other. Warren spoke first. "That was over 50 years ago, What does this have to do with us?"

"Because tonight, Erik visited me in my hotel room and repeated his threat...and I have reason to believe that this time he will carry it out." He hesitated and pulled an envelope from his suit pocket. "He gave me this." He slid the envelope across the conference table. Ororo reached for it and opened it. The first few pictures were of her siblings, clearly taken candidly as if they were being stalked. Then she froze as she looked at the last picture. Her and Steve...together. She looked up at Charles who gave her a sad nod. "He knows." He said softly.

Warren looked between Ororo and Charles. "Knows what?"

Ororo looked down at the picture, in her family only Jean, Scott and Kitty knew the whole truth. Amara knew that she'd been with a married man and Jubilee and Warren had only guessed at a complicated relationship that had gone badly. She closed her eyes. "Knows that I had an affair with the president." She said.

Warren's jaw dropped. Jubilee stared at her, then burst out laughing. "Oh that's hilarious Ro, Great way to cheer us up..." She trailed off as she looked at Jean's face. "Wait a second..." She looked at Scott. "Is this real..." She frowned. "Why the fuck did he know?" She pointed at Scott.

"I found out when President Rogers appointed me to be Attorney General." Scott said.

"If he's been surveying us." Ororo continued. "Then you all need to be completely honest with me. I need to know everything about everything you're doing. Who recently came into your lives. Any suspicious people you've recently encountered or just the feeling of being watched. I need to know all of it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jubilee asked. Ororo sighed.

"We have a bomb happy madman after us and this is what you're choosing to focus on?" She said.

"Seems to me that the fact that you fucked the leader of a country would be pretty incendiary." Scott said.

"Shut up, Summers." Kitty said.

"No, if he has pictures of the two of them, he can blackmail Charles." Scott said.

"No." Charles said. "If it was blackmail he was going for, he'd have made his demands known already...Erik is direct. He has worse information on me. He wanted me to know he could hurt you..." He closed his eyes. "He wants me terrified for your safety at every moment of every day."

Warren looked over at Ororo. "So what do we do?"

Ororo looked back down at the envelope and the picture of her and Steve. "We continue on as if nothing has changed." She gave them a small smile as they all gaped at her.

Bruce spoke up. "Panicking helps no one. We'll run searches on Lennsherr and everyone who has access to you on a regular basis to establish if anyone has a connection."

After a few more angry discussions and tired exclamations of annoyance, the group filed out. Jubilee shot her an angry look and mouthed. "This isn't over," before linking arms with Warren, and beginning to berate him for his choice of suit. Ororo looked over at Sam and Bruce who cleared their throats and left the conference room. "You know..." She said, moving to the seat directly across from Charles. "If you're going to be my client, I'm going to need complete honesty."

He looked up at her with a pleasant smile. Ororo frowned, waiting for him to tell her the truth. He sighed. "Complete honesty?" He said. Ororo nodded.

"You and Erik...it's more than an argument between school friends."

Charles nodded. "He and I..." He looked down at his hands. "It was..." He closed his eyes. "He's never forgiven me. It's one thing to turn in your friend. It's another thing to..." His voice shook.

"To betray someone you loved." Ororo finished. She reached, taking Charles' hand in hers. "I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes. "I am sorry as well. I never wanted my choices to hurt you. Any of you."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Ororo murmured.

Charles nodded. "I know." He sighed. "Jubilee seemed quite upset. I trust I haven't caused a rift between you?"

Ororo chuckled. "She'll burn through her anger in a couple of hours...then comes the less pleasant part." Charles raised a questioning eyebrow. Ororo grimaced. "The curiosity." She said. Charles let out a small laugh.

"Are you going to tell him?" He asked, motioning to the stack of pictures. Ororo winced. She didn't need him to specify who the "him" was. She shook her head.

"I'm trying to cut him out of my life." She said. "Unless Lennsherr makes a specific threat against him, this stays between us."

"Ororo..." Charles said. "This could affect my supreme court nomination."

"I think he's going to go more personal." Ororo said. "I think you could handle losing your reputation...but something happening to one of us..."

Charles nodded. "It's frightening how well you know me." He paused. "I suppose there's one more thing you need to know...in the spirit of complete honesty." He closed his eyes. "Erik is the reason I'm in this chair." He exhaled. "The group had managed to plant a small explosive before the police arrested them. I was..." He shook his head. "Young and foolish. I went through each of the buildings attempting to clear out the people and...there it was. I managed to get everyone out, but...I was too close to the blast. I got a piece of shrapnel in my back as I tried to escape."

"You told us it was a car accident." Ororo said. Charles shook his head.

"I wanted to keep that piece of my life closed." He said. "He doesn't know." He added. Ororo squeezed Charles' hand.

"Thank you for telling me." She murmured.


Bucky woke up to someone in his kitchen. He grabbed the gun in his bedside table. Slowly, without making a sound he exited the room. Gun up, he caught sight of the person...who was humming? And making eggs?

"Put the gun down." Erik said. "You look ridiculous." He glanced over his shoulder. "Scrambled?" He held up the pan. Bucky lowered the gun.

"What?"

"Do you want scrambled eggs?" He asked.

"Why?"

"Because it's breakfast time." Erik said, matter of factly. Bucky blinked in bewilderment.

"Is it poisoned?" He asked. Erik scoffed.

"Kill my best asset?" He said. "That doesn't seem logical." He smiled. "You're special." He clapped Bucky on the back and turned his attention back to the eggs. "Besides. We need to make sure you're well fed and ready for the next phase.

Bucky had been reaching for the handle to the fridge and froze as Erik's words registered. "The next phase?" He said, slowly.

"We need to test just how strong your bond with Ororo is." Erik said.

"How?" Bucky asked, dreading the answer.

"The usual way." Erik said dismissively. "We'll arrange a kidnapping or..." he trailed off as he caught sight of Bucky's face. Bucky quickly schooled his features, trying to remain nonplussed. "Are you attached?"

"No sir." Bucky said. "I just think...there's the issue of her relationship with Rogers." He hated himself for what he was about to say. "He and her are still...there's feelings there. I don't believe she's capable of truly opening herself up to me...not yet." He added quickly as Erik frowned. "I'll need time. These types of opps are difficult. It's hard to control emotions." He hoped he was buying the excuse.

Erik seemed thoughtful, then sighed. "I've waited a long time to get my revenge on Charles." he sighed. "I suppose a few more weeks won't matter." He smirked. "You should have seen the look on the old boy's face when he recognized me." He laughed. "Oh it was priceless." He sighed.

Bucky nodded. "I'm sure it was sir." He opened the fridge, grabbing a water bottle.

"Call your girlfriend." Erik said. "I may be patient, but I won't wait forever." He handed Bucky his cellphone.


Ororo hadn't left the office after her meeting from the night before. Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Jubilee.

Will 4give u if u give details.

Ororo shook her head, amused that even in the middle of a crisis, Jubilee had her priorities straight.

I mean real details. How's his flag pole?

She scoffed and put the phone down. It rang. Ororo answered.

"Lee, focus on your security and not my sex life."

"I'll...take that under advisement?" A distinctly male voice that was not Jubilee replied. Ororo pulled the phone back and glanced at the caller id.

"James." She said. "I'm so sorry. Lee's my sister and she's..." She shook her head. "She's a bit nosy."

James laughed. "I was just wondering if you were busy tomorrow? It's not a date."

"Oh." Ororo said.

"I mean it is...but it isn't." He sighed. "It's an obligation. A military function and...I'll look silly by myself." He paused. "It's whatever you think it is."

Ororo looked at the envelope in front of her. "I'd like that... how fancy is this?"

"I don't know." James replied. Ororo laughed. "What?" He huffed.

"Just, it's the typical guy response." She leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm going to be wearing a suit." He said. "Whatever you wear, you'll easily be the prettiest woman there."

Ororo smiled. "I heard you were a ladies' man, but I didn't believe it until now." There was a pause, both of them knowing exactly how she'd come upon that information. She cleared her throat. "So at what time tomorrow?"

"The dinner starts at 8 so I'll pick you up at 7?"

"Sounds good." She replied. After exchanging goodbyes, they hung up. Ororo looked around her office. Jean knocked and stuck her head in.

"You get any sleep?"

Ororo shook her head. "I was...thinking." She shook her head. Jean sat across from her.

"This has us all shaken up." She murmured. Ororo nodded.

"There's that too."

Jean raised an eyebrow. Ororo sighed. "My date the other night was with James Buchanan Barnes; Steve's best friend."

Jean winced.

"And it feels like...everything we talk about is...tainted somehow." She sighed. "He's looming over us."

Jean patted her on the shoulder. "Only if you let him." She said.