Remy sits down on their new bed and Nori wraps her arms around his neck and sits on his lap. They share a slow, deep kiss. Remy leans in and kisses along her collarbone.
"Stop," she says. "I don't want...marks, on my neck." She knows there's a word for it but she can't remember.
"Maybe I'll leave marks where it won't show, then," he suggests. "If-if you feel up to it."
In response she smiles at him and lies back onto the bed. She starts shrugging out of her tank top and he assists her, then whistles at the black lacy bra underneath. She laughs. "From Ro."
"I like the way she shops," he says, appreciatively. She reaches up and unbuttons his shirt. He throws it to the ground and peels off his white undershirt. She grabs the back of his head and pulls his face down to kiss her. His hands move to her breasts and she moans, softly.
"Remy..." she breathes as he smoothly unhooks her bra. She reaches out to unzip his jeans and finds him hard. She strokes him and he gasps.
"Missed you so much, cher."
Soon they're both naked and rejoicing in their new privacy, when they both stop short.
"Check the nightstand," Nori says on a hunch.
Remy pulls open the drawer and finds an unopened box of condoms. "Bless Ro," he says.
Afterward they lie together under the heavy comforter, sated and happy. Remy strokes Nori's hair. He whispers, "Vous êtes si belle. Je suis un homme très chanceux."
"Hmm?" she asks sleepily.
"I love you," he says.
"Love you too. Duh."
He falls asleep with his arm around her. She lies awake much longer, enjoying his scent and his feel. Eventually she drifts off to sleep too, but wakes up terrified and whimpering a few hours later.
Remy startles. "Cher, que s'est-il passé? What's wrong?" He holds her. "Shhh, shh, you're safe, what's wrong?"
She pants for breath. They hear a knock on the door and Logan calls, "Everything okay?"
"La belle femme just had a nightmare," Remy replies. "She's okay."
"S-sorry," Nori calls.
"S'okay," Logan says. "See you in the morning."
She sighs into Remy's chest. "I am sick of this."
He rubs her back and murmurs to her in French. Eventually her breathing slows and she drops off to sleep. She wakes up early the next morning but stays entwined with Remy for awhile. When the digital clock shows 5:30 she decides to wake Remy, which she does by gently kissing her way down his torso. He stirs when she reaches his navel.
"Good morning to you, cherie," he says. She makes no answer, but continues her way southward. Afterward, she kisses him playfully on the nose.
Remy catches his breath. "Nice way to wake a man up," he says.
"I'm very nice."
"You are, at that." He rubs his hand in a gentle circle on her stomach. "You're nervous," he says.
She sighs. "Yes."
"Maybe Remy can help you relax?" he offers. She looks at him with sleepy eyes and smiles.
"Okay," she says. She gasps as he sucks lightly on her nipples, and whimpers when he starts between her legs. "God, Remy," she moans. "Anata ga hitsuyou desu." When he surfaces, she kisses him and tastes herself. "Anata wo aishiteru."
He gives her his best cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. "See, cher? Today's not gonna be such a bad day."
"Guess not," she says. "God, you are sexy."
His smile broadens and he strokes her cheek.
"I need a shower," she says, squirming away.
"I'll keep you company."
She hesitates. "Okay, but quick."
They wash each other quickly and dress. Nori laughs when she sees their incredibly well-stocked closet. "Ororo is ridiculous," she says. She pulls on a pair of black leggings and a peach long-sleeved shirt dress with a wide black belt. She blow dries her hair and puts on some black eyeliner—Ororo had also supplied her with a wide variety of makeup. She slips on black ballet flats and studies herself in the mirror.
"Lovely, cherie. Though, if I may say so, you looked quite nice before you put all of that on..."
She elbows him and he laughs. She watches as he dresses himself in black jeans and an almost metallic cobalt blue silk button-down shirt.
"Where's your hat?" she asks with a smile.
"Maybe we'll have to go shopping," he says. "You did love that hat."
She sighs, wistfully. "It was a great hat."
There's a knock on the door, and Nori freezes. Remy gives her a half-smile and goes to answer it.
"Mornin," says Logan. "Brought you some breakfast."
"Come in," Remy says.
"Mornin', darlin,'" Logan says, sizing up Nori. "You look nice."
"Thanks," she says.
He sets the food on the desk and ruffles Nori's hair. Half her mouth tips up in exasperation, and she pats it back into place.
Logan grins at her and leans against the wall. "Say, darlin', since you two are staying here, is Xavier gonna help you get that empathy of yours under control?"
"Maybe. I have not..." suddenly, she looks up at Logan. "No!" she says, with small gasp.
He nods. She covers her mouth with her hand and dissolves into giggles.
"What's goin' on?" Remy asks.
"Oh... just seems like you two had a real nice morning, that's all."
"Sorry," Nori breathes out between laughs. "I... did not... it was not like that before."
"Oh, it ain't a problem. Just thought you should know," Logan says. He winks at Remy. "Nice work, LeBeau."
Remy laughs and says, "Thank you," before adding, "Cher... how wide is your range?"
She throws up her hands dramatically. "No idea. It has been different since, you know, my injury. Probably the whole house knows we fucked."
Logan shrugs. "I doubt anyone'd hold it against you two. Anyway, this kind of thing happens around here all the time."
Remy eyes Nori carefully, wondering if this is will trigger an anxiety attack. She seems to be taking it in good humor. "This kind of thing?" she repeats.
"Okay, not this exact thing," he admits. "But with a couple of—well, a telepath around... well, it can cause awkward moments. Anyway," he adds, "I'd bet most of the kids wouldn't... they probably didn't recognize what was happening. If they were felt it. Most of 'em were probably sleeping anyway."
"Eat your breakfast, cher. You know what Hank said."
"Whatever," Nori replies, but she picks up her brown smoothie.
Logan lifts his eyebrows. "What'd you do to piss off Hank?"
"He says I need to gain weight."
"I ain't a doctor, but I could have told you that, darlin'."
"What-ever," she says again. She rolls her eyes, but keeps drinking the peanut butter concoction. She dutifully finishes it and eats the rest of her breakfast. Logan nods approvingly.
"You two want to get outside, see the grounds?"
"Yes," Remy says immediately.
Nori projects a mixture of intense desire and fear, and Logan sighs. "You'll be fine, darlin'. Everyone's in class now. Don'tcha want to go outside?"
She twists her mouth, considering for a moment, then nods. She stacks up the breakfast dishes and glances at Logan. "Yeah, we'll drop them off in the kitchen on our way out."
After they drop off the dishes, Nori links hands with both Remy and Logan, who glance at each other over Nori's head and shrug. Both men feel protective of her, and they feel a sense of unity in it.
They step out the back door into Xavier's lawn. It's a chilly day in early spring, but the sun is shining. She sets a slow pace for them, but they don't mind. They bask in the gentle wonder she projects.
"Sunshine," she says, with a huge smile. They don't make it very far before Nori softly asks to stop. They rest on a wrought iron bench, and Nori closes her eyes and smiles to feel the sun on her face.
They spend ten minutes sitting together in silence before Nori opens her eyes and says, "Okay. What next?"
They keep walking and find some optimistic early daffodils. Delighted, Nori sinks to her knees, careful of her new dress, and puts her face in them. She hums, and Logan recognizes it as "Here Comes the Sun."
"Darlin', how many songs do you know?"
She stops humming. "Oh, my god. Hundreds? I mean, it... well, it used to be pretty much my whole life." She shrugs. "I spent hours and hours and hours listening and playing." She's feeling nostalgic now. "But this is nice too," she says, a dreamy afterthought. She gracefully rocks to her feet and again takes each man by the hand. She leads them to another iron bench and they sit. She's in a sweet mood, like the Nori Remy remembers meeting two years ago. Her empathy seems stronger and both Remy and Logan feel a little drunk on it. She sings to them, and Logan tells them stories about the students. Finally, Logan looks over at Remy's watch and says, "Hey, darlin', why don't we go in for lunch?"
Slight wariness runs over her, but she says, "Okay." She holds their hands tightly as they cross the grounds, but drops them when they get inside the mansion.
She pauses outside the door to the dining hall. Logan puts a hand on her shoulder and she flinches slightly. "It's all right, darlin'. Nobody in here is gonna hurt you."
"Okay," she says. "Okay." She follows him in. They're late, so the dining hall is already full. A few students look up at them when they enter, and those students begin whispering to their neighbors, and soon the whole room is staring at them and pretending not to be. Nori takes deep breaths and makes it to the food counter without incident. She makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and adds some cottage cheese to her plate after a nudge from Remy. She looks around the room and finds the teachers' table. She takes a seat next to Scott with relief.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Scott asks, with genuine concern.
"I am... okay," she says with a nod. She's still glancing around the room like a caged animal, but isn't obviously melting down. She rips the sandwich into small pieces and eats them one at a time.
Remy and Logan come join them and Nori smiles at them. Remy looks at Hank and asks, "How'd your school meeting with Xavier go over this morning?"
Hank shrugs. "Fine. The children are curious to meet you two. I think, more than anything, they are excited to have some new adults around. I think they will be interested to see how much you plan on enforcing the rules around here."
"Rules?" Nori asks.
"Oh, you know. No fighting, no texting during class, no dangerous mutant powers inside the mansion."
"Is there a list?" She sounds concerned.
Hank smiles. "I think we can find you a student handbook."
"What happens if they don't follow the rules?" Remy asks.
"Ask Scott," Hank says.
Remy looks to Scott, who shrugs. "I think the punishment should fit the crime. Usually it's cleaning up their mess. Sometimes it's an extra essay or maybe losing out on an off-campus weekend trip."
Remy nods.
"We're not like the Brotherhood," Scott says, in a low voice, and Remy narrows his eyes slightly. Nori puts her hand on his and gives him a little look, one that says, "Keep it together." So he does.
The conversation turns to lighter subjects, like the relatively warm day, and Ororo smiles serenely. Nori notices and flashes her a grateful smile in return. As soon as Nori finishes her last bite, she receives a mental call from Xavier, asking her to come to his office. Her eyes widen in surprise and Scott asks, "Did the Professor just ask you to come to his office?"
"Yes," she says. "Where is it?"
"It's on the other side of the first floor. He'll help you find it."
She glances at Remy, who shrugs. "Okay... see you later," Nori says, uncertainly. Remy squeezes her hand and she drops off her plate and slips out of the cafeteria. Sure enough, Xavier mentally guides her through the mansion, which she finds slightly unnerving.
She finds herself outside his door and knocks, which seems unnecessary. "Come in," Xavier calls out, aloud.
She looks around his office. Nori doesn't know much about antiques but she's sure this office is very finely decorated. She feels more at ease now that she's looking at Xavier's kind face. She's not sure why she was so nervous—except for her generalized anxiety.
"Please, have a seat," he says. She sits in a straight-backed, upholstered chair and crosses her legs.
Would this be easier for you if we spoke like this? He asks in her mind.
I guess, she thinks back, then realizes that it is. She smiles. Her spoken English has returned much faster than her written English, but it's still a relief not to struggle so much to spit out her words.
I wanted to talk to you about how you are adjusting to life at the mansion.
It's fine. Everyone's been nice to me so far.
But a new environment is still frightening, is it not?
Yes.
You've been through a lot, Nori, but the human—and mutant—pysche is resilient. Has anyone here given you particular reason to fear them?
No, no, she thinks back immediately. Everyone here has been so kind.
Xavier nods. Good. That's as I would have hoped, but I wanted to confirm.
She shakes her foot in a syncopated rhythm. Professor Xavier? She thinks, tentatively.
Yes?
Could you help me with my empathy? I... she manages to send all of her embarrassment and confusion directly at him and he laughs gently.
You know, Logan's extra senses make him more perceptive of such things than the average person here.
Oh. But, still...
Yes, of course. I will do what I can to help you, though I confess I'm not sure how much control of it you may have permanently lost to brain damage.
Stupid brain damage.
Indeed. All right. May I enter your mind?
Aren't you already here?
Not quite.
Then, yes, I guess.
She feels a stronger presence in her mind. Whoa.
First, I'm going to help you get a sense of how to put up a mental shield, and let you learn what it feels like when one is up.
It's a strange sensation—almost like she's a video game that he's playing. But after twenty minutes or so of practice, she's able to put up and take down her own mental shield.
When this is in place, it will prevent everyone from feeling your empathic projections.
Could I make exceptions? I mean... she blushes, thinking of how much Remy has been enjoying her constant empathic projections, and Xavier smiles.
Yes, although I fear that will have to wait for a future practice session. And there's no need to be embarrassed, Noriko. You should be able to share your mutant gift with your loved ones, if you choose.
Thank you.
You're quite welcome.
He gently breaks their mental link and says, aloud, "Well, Nori, are you ready to face my senior physics class?'
She smiles and shrugs. There's a knock at the door, and she starts.
"Come in," Xavier calls. "It's Remy," he tells her, and she relaxes. Remy's eyes light up to see her, and she smiles up at him.
"Please, have a seat," Xavier says, and Remy glides over to take a seat next to Nori. "This is a smaller class, so we just meet in my office. The students should be here soon."
Compelled by curiosity, the students all arrive to class early. Nori watches them cautiously and realizes that the students actually seem to stare more at Remy than at her. He's certainly an attractive man, but they look at him with something like fear. How vain she's been, to worry so about what the students think of her. Of course they're afraid, especially when they've seen on the news what Remy can do with a deck of cards.
"All right, class. Since you're all here, we'll start early," Xavier says. "I wanted to give you an opportunity to meet our two newest teachers, Noriko Oyama and Remy LeBeau." Remy nods at them and Nori gives a little smile and wave. "Would you two like to introduce yourselves?" Xavier asks.
Nori and Remy glance at each other, and Remy says in his smooth Cajun accent, "I'm Remy LeBeau. I am from New Orleans, and... and I am happy to be here." Nori realizes belatedly that Remy's nervous about this, too, though no one else would ever know.
"I'm Nori," she says carefully. "I'm from New York. Or Boston. I will teach music. I am happy to meet you," she finishes, with a bright smile. She decides to lower her shield and let the students feel that she is genuine.
Xavier nods approvingly. "Now, class, perhaps you can introduce yourselves to Miss Oyama and Mr. LeBeau, and then they will take questions."
Bobby Drake raises his hand to start, and Nori grins at him. "I'm Bobby. I'm from Boston, and I control ice. I'm glad you're here," he says sincerely, and Nori sees some of the students look on them a bit friendlier. Marie, Jubilee, Dani, Kitty, Piotr, and Warren introduce themselves too, and then hands shoot up for questions.
"What are your powers?" Warren asks, coolly.
"I can charge things by touching them, and then they explode," Remy says.
"Cool," Warren says. "What about you?" he asks Nori.
"Well... I project my emotions on people, and, well, I make other powers... stronger," she says, slowly.
"Other powers?" Warren asks.
"Forgive me, it is not easy to... explain. Ah, well, I do not know how it would work for your wings. But for example I could help make Professor Xavier's telepathy stronger. Or Bobby's ice. For a while."
"Oh," Warren says. "Huh." He's clearly unimpressed, and Nori smiles.
"I know," she says. "It is not as fun as flying."
Jubilee raises her hand and asks, "Miss Oyama, is it true that you know Ben Folds?"
She blinks and says, "Yes."
"Is he nice?" Kitty asks.
"Yes," Nori replies. "He is very nice. He and I toured together once. We used to make up piano and violin arrangements for songs. Um. Pop songs." She smiles.
Xavier and Remy exchange glances; neither of them know who Ben Folds is.
"Do you know any other celebrities?" Jubilee asks.
"I guess so," Nori says. "I mean not so so famous ones."
"Well, who?" Jubilee asks.
Nori smiles, "I have played with the Mountain Goats… Andrew Bird, Neko Case, the Indigo Girls? And M. I. A. and I used to live in the same building. Before she got rich."
"Awesome," Jubilee says. "Do you know Katy Perry?"
"No."
"Too bad."
Most of the kids are gazing at her with admiration now, and Nori swings her feet, a little embarrassed.
"Why were you with Magneto?" Dani asks, boldly.
"He saved me," Nori says, simply. All eyes swivel to Remy, who says, "I wanted to kill William Stryker, and he told me he did too."
Several of these students had been briefly imprisoned by Stryker, and they nod.
At the mention of Stryker, Nori mentally checks out from the conversation and she stares at the ground.
"Sorry," Dani says. "I was just curious."
"It's all right, cher," Remy says, gently elbowing Nori. She shakes her head and gives a small smile.
"Yes," she says, "You are right to ask."
"Is your music class going to be like Glee?" Jubilee asks.
"Ah... I'm not sure. I haven't really watched Glee," Nori admits.
"Oh my God, it's the best. We have the first season on DVD, you have to watch it with us," Jubilee says.
"Sure," Nori agrees.
"Miss Oyama, will you sing a song for us?" Rogue asks.
"Oh... well, I did not bring my guitar..." Nori says.
"Please?" Kitty asks.
"Si vous plait," Remy asks, giving her a look she can't say no to.
"Well... okay. But I promise I sing better with a guitar," Nori says. "You should sing along if you know it."
I took my love, and I took it down
I climbed a mountain, and I turned around
And I saw my reflection
In the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide brought you down
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life? Oh, oh...
Her voice is pure and lovely, and her empathy sends out a gentle nostalgia and affection to all the students. No one takes her up on her request to sing along.
"Wow," Kitty says after.
"My mom likes that song," Warren says. "I mean, it was good, though," he adds awkwardly.
"It's a good song," Rogue says, defensively.
"Well, um, if you like that, you should all take music class," Nori says with a smile.
Xavier laughs. "An excellent idea," he says. "Does anyone else have any questions for Mr. LeBeau or Miss Oyama?"
The kids shake their heads.
"Then, thank you for your time," he says to Remy and Nori. "Students, I trust you will treat them with the same respect you offer all of your instructors."
"Yes, professor," they chorus.
You two may go wait in the living room or your bedroom, if you'd like. I'll let you know when my next class is about to start, Xavier mentally tells them.
