That first day set an easy routine for the two men. Each morning, they separated, practicing trying to not only be away from one another but to function without the other there. They were tested on how much they could handle without the link distracting them from it. Logan took Remy while Jean took Spencer. To make some distance, Logan and Remy took their bikes and headed off property, testing the limits of their comfort. They stopped before it got to the danger point for each man. It was a test to see not only if they could maintain at least some distance, but to see if they could stretch that distance a little, sort of training them to be apart. Desensitize them, so to speak. It seemed to be working, too, little by little.

They broke for lunch, sending the two off to eat together, away from the team. Jean insisted that it was important right now for them to reaffirm that bond together after being made to be apart. She and Charles both agreed that it would be easier on them with that alone time. The two men didn't protest at all. They took their lunch and set off, usually to the boathouse or the dock, to sit together and talk and eat. Little by little they were getting to know each other.

In the afternoons, Remy had a session in the Danger Room while Spencer met with Hank, the one that had been decided might best be able to help him understand some of his healing. Not because of any power of his, but because of his mind. Hank had a wealth of knowledge and he put things into terms that Spencer accepted much easier than he did the things Charles said. Spencer ran off of facts and logic. To understand his powers, he had to understand what was going on. He knew how it worked in his body. What he needed to understand was how it worked in others. Also, when minor injuries came through, a person was asked if they would be willing to let Spencer practice. More often than not they said yes, and he was able to practice his healing. Each time, he felt he gained a little more control.

He was still surprised by how well everyone seemed to take this. Or, more to the point, how they just didn't care too much. Then again, the general impression amongst some of them seemed to be that this was just some strong empathic link that the two men shared and was therefore no big deal. They were used to Jean and Scott sharing a link and didn't really see this as any different. Sure, they noticed that Remy touched this guy more than he did most, but Remy had always been a touchy guy. Mostly, they wondered how Rogue was going to handle this when she got back. A few discreet bets were placed on who was going to come out the victor in that fight. Rogue had sheer strength on her side but Remy was a crafty son of a bitch.

Remy was more surprised by how much he found himself truly liking the young FBI agent. The man was nothing like what Remy had first thought he'd be. From the get go, Remy had been ready to try and like the man. With being told that they were going to be basically stuck with one another for at least the foreseeable future, if not the rest of their lives, he had figured there was no point in fighting about it and he might as well just make nice with the guy. Good thing, too, as he seemed to have a hell of an instinct in him to protect the kid. But he hadn't figured on really coming to like him. Spencer was shy, nervous, awkward, socially inept, and had almost no confidence in himself. He had a sense of humor that didn't always make sense to others and most normal jokes went past him without registering. He tended to babble on about things that no one else seemed to understand and his brain made lightning fast connections that seemed nonexistent to others yet made total sense to him. One moment you could find yourself talking with him about plans for the day and by the time the conversation wound down you could somehow be talking about the history of bread or something equally strange.

He was more than all that, though. Spencer was also kind, friendly, stronger than he looked, and he had a capacity for caring in him that was amazing, even if he didn't always know how to show it. No matter who he spoke with or what it was about, he always devoted his full attention to the conversation in a way that made the other person really feel like they were being heard, not just listened to. There was something about him that let people know that this was a man who was well used to taking care of himself and of others around him. He was very much a caretaker. At the same time, that very same thing seemed to make people want to take care of him in turn.

Each day seemed to bring a new test for the two. On their third day there, they skipped the separation testing and tried a different test entirely. For this one, they kept the boys both in the house and allowed them to be near one another if needed but asked them to go as long as possible without touching. They made it through until dinnertime before they broke. Surprisingly, it wasn't Remy that did; it was Spencer. All day long he'd been fighting back the urge to reach out to Remy. It surprised him just how much he found himself wanting to do it. He hadn't realized just how much they touched. He'd thought he was holding himself back before. It was shocking to realize just how much they must touch without ever even thinking about it. He didn't notice until he was deprived of it. All through the day, Spencer was miserable. His emotions had slowly sunk down as the day progressed, causing him to pull back from everyone just the slightest bit. It was like a cloud of depression had settled over him. Nothing felt right.

He kept gravitating towards Remy and he found himself reaching out countless times before he caught himself. But he kept trying until finally, he couldn't take it. Everyone was gathered in the dining room for dinner and Spencer was hunched down in his chair, picking at his food and discreetly watching Remy through his hair. The man was sitting beside him, his body tense, and his expression dared anyone to piss him off right about now. Spencer could feel how hard this was for Remy. That, more than anything else, was the final straw. "Enough of this." Spencer blurted out. All eyes shot towards him and he felt his cheeks flame in response. He didn't let it stop him, though. Deliberately he set his fork down and then reached out and laid his hand over top of Remy's on the table. "I think that's long enough for now. This test is over."

Everyone could see the two men sigh in relief when skin touched skin. Some of the tension melted off of Remy's face and Spencer stopped hunching so much in his seat. Remy turned his hand so that they were palm to palm and he threaded their fingers together. Neither man let go through the rest of dinner.


Spencer had been at the mansion for almost five days before he found himself down in the Danger Room. He didn't understand at first why they'd brought him there. Everyone else was in here often enough for training sessions, Remy included, but Spencer had had no reason to be here so far. He didn't know why he needed to be here now. It didn't take long for him to find out why. Remy, Spencer, Scott and Logan all stood inside of the room and Scott explained exactly what they were doing there. He pointed out that Remy had fought in here plenty of times since they'd come back and Spencer had showed no reaction except for a slight tenseness and once, when Remy got hurt, a need to look Remy over afterwards. Now it was time to see how things worked in reverse. They needed to see Spencer fight and see how Remy reacted to it.

The only thing was, Spencer didn't want to fight. They'd managed to get him into the Danger Room by not telling him what was going on until he was there, but Scott was discovering how stubborn Spencer could be as he tried to convince him to do this. "I don't fight, Scott." Spencer insisted. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and his body posture was tight. As an even better indicator of Spencer's mood, Remy was tense on the sidelines, his eyes glued on Spencer.

"It's just sparring, Spencer. I'm not asking you to actually try to hurt someone. You know why we have to do this. We need to see how you do and how he does." Scott said.

"You're not hearing me. I don't fight. I'm not exactly the physical type, in case you haven't noticed."

A frustrated sigh slid from Scott. "You had to pass hand-to-hand to work at the Bureau, didn't you? And you have to be ready to wrestle with your bad guys. Just treat this like that."

If he thought that would get him to win, he was wrong. Spencer didn't move, didn't even blink. He already had his reply ready. "Ultimately the Bureau had to make exceptions in pretty much everything physical just to allow me into the field. My job on the team is as a brain. Morgan is the one for chasing and wrestling Unsubs and kicking down doors. I am much more adept at talking an Unsub down than fighting with them."

"And what about when we get this all figured out and you maybe go back to work? What're you going to do if this Morgan isn't there and you have to fight with one of your Unsubs? Don't you want to know what it could potentially do to Remy if that has to happen?" Shamelessly Scott played on their obvious need to take care of one another. He played on the part of Spencer that felt the need to keep anyone from harm.

It worked, too. They could all see it. Spencer's eyes snapped to Remy and then drifted back to Scott before becoming shuttered. His whole face went blank. "Fine." The flat sound to Spencer's voice had Scott wincing slightly. "Let's get this done, sir. I have other things I need to attend to this afternoon."

Off on the sidelines, Logan had to put a hand on Remy's shoulder to keep him from going to Spencer. The Cajun was staring at Spencer and his whole body was practically vibrating with the need to go to him. Seeing that had Scott wincing once more. He'd really upset Spencer. Really, really upset him. But this needed to be done. This was important. But before he could do anything, Logan came striding out towards them. "Why don't I do this, Slim?" He called out. When he got close, he cast a look behind him at Remy's tense frame and then he turned a wry grin on Scott. "Least if the kid freaks, he can't kill me."

Logan and Spencer stood facing one another in the middle of the room. The young genius held himself rather stiffly, his discomfort visible in every line of his body. Logan reacted to it and tried to reassure him slightly. "It's okay, Stretch. It's just a little friendly sparring, that's all."

"Of course." Spencer pulled in a deep breath. When he blew it back out, the tension seemed to drain from him. His body relaxed and the tension faded away to be replaced with a casual air. For all intents and purposes, he looked completely at ease. The two men observing might've believed it if it hadn't been for Remy. His body was still taunt and his gaze was locked on Spencer. He wasn't vibrating anymore with that need to race over to him but it was obvious that he wasn't happy with whatever Spencer was feeling. His hands were hooked onto his pockets and there was no doubt how quickly he could move to grab and charge cards if he needed to.

There was nothing they could do about it right then. This had to be done. Logan nodded at Spencer and then shifted back a few steps, putting his body into position.

When Logan made his first move, Scott kept an eye on Remy. The point of his exercise was to assess how Remy would do with Spencer in a potentially dangerous situation. Sure, they were assessing Spencer's ability at the same time. That was just logical. If the man was attached to Remy, they needed to make sure he could fight. But Scott trusted Logan's assessment on that, so he left Spencer to Logan and he focused on Remy.

Every time that Logan and Spencer came together, Remy tensed as if in preparation. The first blow that Spencer took, a simple graze of a fist against his arm that he mostly dodged, Remy's hands clenched but he stayed where he was. So far he was doing well. He wasn't charging out there, wasn't trying to stop them. Seeing how well Remy was doing, Scott snuck a few glances out at Spencer. He watched the agent for a few moments, drawn in despite himself. Spencer didn't actually 'fight' Logan. His moves were very much defensive. It was obvious that most of what he was doing was either to avoid a blow or to defend himself from one. He didn't actually demonstrate any combat skills. It was equally obvious that he was quite talented at evasion. That right there told Scott quite a bit about the man. To be that skilled at avoidance in a fight spoke of lots of practice. How many times had he been beaten up to gain this kind of ability?

It was inevitable that Logan would get a shot in, though. The man was too talented not to. Scott saw what was going to happen just seconds before it did. Spencer twisted back to avoid a blow, realizing at the last second that his move put him in an even worse position. There was no time for Spencer to block or for Logan to pull the blow very much. There was a fairly solid strike that sent Spencer flying backwards, back slamming into the wall, and that was when enough became enough for Remy. Cards flew from his hand, a quick volley that blasted in front of Logan, knocking him backwards. In the brief moment that created, Remy snapped his Bo out and used it to launch himself over, clearing the distance between him and Spencer. He landed and twisted to face Logan, his staff held at the ready, a snarl on his lips, and he prepared to launch forward at the man.

Maybe even more surprising was Spencer's reaction. The young genius shoved away from the wall and went right up to Remy's side before the Cajun could so much as take a step forward to attack. The man that all of them had seen be so shy, the one who avoided most physical contact, almost plastered himself up against Remy's side. One hand came up to smooth back Remy's hair while his other hand went to Remy's chest, resting over his heart. Just faintly the others could hear the soft words that Spencer murmured. "It's okay, Remy. It's okay. I'm fine. Look at me, okay? There is no threat here. I'm all right." He lifted his hand off of Remy's heart, laying it on the Bo. He pushed, slowly lowering one end of it until he and Remy had one end pressed to the ground. "That's it. We're safe here. We're safe."

Remy let go of the Bo with one hand. Then he quickly snaked that hand around Spencer's waist, anchoring the man against him. Spencer let go of the Bo as well so that both hands could cup Remy's head. Their foreheads pressed together and Spencer's words became too soft for normal senses to hear. Logan's enhanced hearing picked up on it, though he realized that it was more the tone than the actual words that mattered. Spencer's tone was low and reassuring. A softness that was meant to soothe. Little by little the tension drained away from Remy. At a murmured word from Spencer, the Cajun retracted his Bo and slipped it back into its usual spot.

Scott turned to look at Logan, one eyebrow lifted. "Well, I guess that answers that."

"Yeah." Logan cast the two a contemplative look before shaking his head and turning back to Scott. "I told ya, when it comes to the kid, Cajun's more feral than anything else. He's gonna protect what's his."

"Apparently." Scott said dryly. He raised his voice slightly to call out to the two across the room. "Why don't you two go ahead and go? We'll meet later to discuss things."

The two barely acknowledged him as they made their way out of the Danger Room. It was interesting to watch them move together. Spencer stayed against Remy's side and Remy kept his arm around him, holding him in close and tight. When they left and the doors shut, Scott shook his head. That was definitely going to be interesting if the two encountered anyone while like that. He thanked the fact that Logan had predicted this enough to plan accordingly. The Canadian had made a point to ask Jean to keep people away and occupied while they did this. Scott could only imagine how the others might react if they saw the two plastered together this way. There were already enough whispered bits of gossip about the two men.

As if reading his thoughts, Logan said "Hope Jeannie kept everyone away long enough. Might start a few jokes, otherwise, and there's no telling how the Cajun would react. He's in full protect mode right now."

"It's interesting that Remy's instincts are so strong and feral-like when it comes to Spencer, but Spencer's seem to be a little more mellowed when it comes to Remy. He doesn't seem to have the intense protection need that Remy does."

Logan hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and nodded. "They've got roles in this bond, it looks like. Rem is definitely the protector. But I think it's got somethin' to do with more than just them fighting. I think it's the emotions there."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked curiously. Though not many realized it, Scott trusted Logan's opinions on things. Even if he didn't always approve of the man's methods or actions in certain things, he had respect for him and for his intelligence.

"Well, look at it like this. We all know how Gumbo gets in a fight. He lives for it. He loves the high of it all." Logan pointed out. "He'll grin at you as he blows you back. Hell, he'll laugh when he gets hit sometimes and then hop right back up and knock your ass down. So maybe the kid didn't react when Rem was fightin' or when he got hurt cause he could feel Rem's enjoyment in it. But Spencer didn't wanna do this. He didn't want to fight. I'd bet what he felt wasn't happy or anything like that and the Cajun reacted to those emotions."

Scott's lips quirked with a hint of humor. "That was almost an intelligent analysis, Logan." He lifted his hands and lazily clapped. "Very good."

Snorting, Logan flipped him his middle claw. "Fuck off, Slim." The words were said without any serious heat to them. As he left the Danger Room, he heard Scott's laughter behind him.


Scott and Logan weren't the only ones to think that Remy's behavior was feral-like. Through their bond, Spencer could feel Remy's strong need to protect that was raging through him like a wildfire. It was absolutely amazing to feel. It was an instinct, almost primitive in its intensity, and all encompassing. Everything else was blocked out at the moment except for that feeling. Knowing that, Spencer didn't protest at all as Remy hustled him upstairs. He didn't even protest when he was taken into Remy's room and the door was shut, locked, and bolted. It was more amusing than annoying, really. The scientific part of Spencer's mind was watching all of this with absolute fascination. The behavior Remy was exhibiting could be considered animalistic. He had taken Spencer away from a threat, brought him to his own territory, and now he was securing them inside that territory. He'd gotten Spencer to the bed and sat him down and then went about checking all the locks at his window and his door and he was prowling around the room like he was looking for some kind of threat.

Once the territory was secure, the Cajun made his way back to Spencer. He immediately sat down on the bed beside him and reached out like he was going to touch him before he jerked his hands back. He curled them into fists and folded them down into his lap. "Are y' okay, Spencer?"

Interesting. Spencer could see just how hard Remy was fighting to keep from reaching out. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Remy wanted to do. Spencer debated for only a second before he made his decision. "I'm fine, Remy. Go ahead and check me over yourself. I promise, I don't mind." They were in Remy's room, alone and safe. There was no harm that could come from indulging the man's need. And it was a need, not just a want.

Still, Remy hesitated. It was strange to see hesitation on that usually confident face. Spencer stayed quiet and watched, waiting to see what the man would do. He watched Remy's hands clench tight for a moment. "Are y' sure, Spencer?" Remy finally asked. "I…I know y' don't like being touched all dat much and lookin' y' over, dat's a personal touch."

Ah, so that was what was wrong here. Their bond allowed Remy to know what Spencer was feeling and he'd probably caught on quickly that Spencer was shy and hesitant about touches. Uncomfortable, really, most of the time. He also had probably figured out early on that Spencer tried to avoid touching as much as possible. He was being kind here, and respectful. That fact actually served to relax Spencer even more. Despite how strong this need was for him, Remy was still trying to show restraint out of respect for him. Spencer's trust in the man grew a bit in that moment. He reached out and laid his hand over top of Remy's clenched fists. "I'm sure. This, it isn't sexual, it isn't violent, and it isn't wrong. This is the protector inside of you demanding a medical assessment, essentially. Do what you need to."

He could see on Remy's face when the man finally decided to just give in. Remy lifted his hands and started at Spencer's head, lightly touching the back of his head and feeling through his hair to check for any damage from where he'd hit the wall. When he'd assured himself that there was nothing there, he moved his hands downward, reaching out for the buttons on Spencer's shirt. He froze there, eyes flickering to Spencer's face, not doing anything until he saw Spencer's small nod. Then his fingers made quick work of the buttons. Spencer wasn't wearing a tie or vest today so it was easy for Remy to get him out of his button up shirt, leaving Spencer sitting there in just an undershirt. Remy checked over each place where Logan had ever managed to connect with him during the sparring session. Spencer held still and watched the whole process with interest. Only a slight buzz of discomfort was in him. The rest of him was too caught up in watching this moment.

He watched as Remy finished his exam and apparently declared Spencer fine. There was still some stress on him, though. Some agitation that Spencer could feel. While checking Spencer over had helped, it didn't seem to be enough. There was still this edge to Remy, like he was still battling back both temper and worry. Spencer could see it on his face and he could feel it in their bond. One idea came to him that might set Remy at ease, but it made Spencer flush a little. This kind of behavior wasn't him! It wasn't how he acted and it wasn't how he did things. But he couldn't deny that the idea appealed to him, too. And he just knew it would help Remy relax a little. Don't be a coward about this. You knew things were going to change with this. This is just one of those things. You can do this! You've done it already, really. This isn't any different.

Spencer bit his lip and looked up at Remy through his bangs. Red and black eyes were watching him intently, the man most likely reading Spencer's shifting emotions. "What is it, mon ami? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Spencer drew in a breath and made himself sit up a little. This was stupid. There was no reason to be bothered by this. No reason at all. He could do this. "Listen, Remy, neither one of us is relaxed and I think I know a way to help us both."

"What is it?"

There was trust in those words and in the way Remy was looking at him. He was trusting Spencer to have some kind of answer. Why hadn't he ever realized just how heavy a burden trust could be, or how liberating it was? Spencer tried to ignore those thoughts for now. One problem at a time. He couldn't seem to bring himself to speak, though. The words just wouldn't come. So he'd have to settle for actions. Bending down, he started unlacing his shoes, first one and then the other. After setting them down at the edge of the bed, he started to scoot back until he was on the side of the bed furthest from the door. All the while he purposely kept himself from looking at Remy. There was no way for Remy to misunderstand what he was doing, though. Spencer lifted up the blankets and slipped down inside of them until he was lying down. Then he patted the space in front of him. "I think we could both use a bit of a lie-down, don't you?"

Understanding washed down the bond, followed by a small little hint of relief. "Oui, cher. Dat sounds like a good idea t' me."

He wasn't surprised when Remy chose to lay turned towards the door. It put his back to Spencer, who was perfectly content with that. Looking at one another would've made this all the more awkward and difficult. Spencer was having a hard enough time of things without adding that in. Not having to look at Remy's face made it a little easier for Spencer to inch just a bit closer to Remy's back. He drew up one hand and laid it flat between Remy's shoulder blades. When Remy said nothing to that, Spencer scooted in just the tiniest bit more until he could rest his forehead against the back of Remy's shoulder. The both of them seemed to ease even more at that. This was awkward, strange, and yet it felt like the most natural thing in the entire world. Those conflicting emotions left Spencer more confused than ever. He had no idea what this was or why this felt right, only that it did.

Closing his eyes, he pushed those thoughts away and tried to clear his mind. Stressing would do nothing to relax either one of them. The whole point of this was to try and ease the protector in Remy. Lying back here worrying wouldn't do that. It would just make things work. Spencer tried to clear his mind sort of like he did when he meditated. After a while, he felt it beginning to work, not just for him but for Remy too. The more that Spencer relaxed, the more Remy relaxed, until finally Spencer relaxed so much that he slipped down into sleep.


Hey everyone, here's your next chap! I hope you guys like it. I'm not starting to lose anyone out there, am I? Sure hope not :)

Thanks 4, Hisuiko, IntoTheWilds for your ever faithful reviews :) You guys are great and you really help me keep going. Thanks bunches, my little lovelies!