Summary; Disclaimer; Warning: See First Chapter.

Another chapter for you guys. More action, more twists, and of course more of everyone's favorite Cajun! Ah, and Gambit called Warren 'angel' in French, that's all. Nothing bad!

Reviews welcome.

"All right, kid, you wanted to see me?" Deitra asked, popping her head into the boy's dorm. Franklin's face brightened immediately and he threw himself at her. "Whoa!" she yelped, as she fell backwards and stumbled into a bedpost.

"Deitra, this is Jimmy! You met him, right?" the boy asked eagerly, pulling her over to the bunk where the other boy sat on the bed, looking embarrassed.

"Sure I have. You look like you're…doing…well…" she began, and trailed off in shock when she saw her reflection in the darkened window. Her hair returned to it's original brunette color, and her eyes faded to a green. She blinked at herself in shock, and looked back when Jimmy mumbled something.

"Sorry," he apologized, but she shook her head, recovering.

"Hm? No, it's all right. It just took me by surprise," she assured him, ruffling his short hair. He grinned at the idea that one of the X-Men who had helped save him forgot his power, but got to his feet agreeably.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Franklin asked, and Deitra smiled.

"I dunno. Whatever you squirts want," she agreed, letting herself be pulled out the room and down the hall. She hadn't come into close contact with Jimmy since that fateful night, and hadn't realized how his power might affect her. She realized her mind felt a lot less crowded, away from the plants, but saw with regret the ones they passed looked a bit droopy.

"I guess I'd like this kid too, if I had Franklin or Rogue's power," she thought, frowning over the lost X-Men. She looked up again when the kids stopped, and grinned when she saw Warren's confused face staring at her. He literally jumped off the ground when his wings seemed to melt back into his body, and looked back to Jimmy.

"Nice to meet you," he said faintly, and narrowed his eyes.

"Deitra," she supplied with a laugh. "The un-mutant version. Wanna watch a movie with us? I warn you, I have no choice in the matter," she added with mock-seriousness as he trailed after them.

"Sounds good," the young man said faintly, visibly startled by the loss of his wings. She shrugged at him over her shoulder, and he managed a grin back.

"Disconcerting, isn't it?" she remarked, as she and Warren were left alone in the room. Franklin and Jimmy had been forced to go to bed, leaving the two X-Men alone in the room, who had returned to their 'normal' mutant state as a result.

"I'll say," he agreed, still a bit unsettled.

"Poor kid. Having the other kids either freak out because they lose their powers, or want you around because of it," she said with sudden sympathy, waving at the plants as they began to perk up a little.

"I guess that makes sense," Warren agreed, flexing his wings to adjust back to them. She glanced over curiously, and he blinked. "What?"

"Just wondering what it's like. I've always wanted to be able to fly," she said wistfully. "Closest I'll get is being tossed through the air by someone," she added with a chuckle, being met with a smile.

"Am I interrupting, chère?" Gambit asked, strolling into the room as if he belonged there. Warren glared at him, but Deitra shrugged tolerantly.

"Unless you like the Tyra show, no," she replied, gesturing to the television. He snorted at the show and launched himself over the back of the couch to wedge himself between the two X-Men.

"Well, I don't, so that's no loss," he shot back, elbowing Warren innocently while the winged young man muttered something under his breath. "I heard that," the Cajun added, and he smirked.

"So what?"

"Stop it," Deitra scolded them both, getting to her feet. "I have to make sure the kids are all in bed anyway, so don't go starting any fights," she added, apparently addressing them both. "And then I'm heading to get some rest. If Ororo comes around, let her know where I am."

With that, the young woman strode from the room, leaving the other two mutants alone.

"What are you still doing here?" Warren demanded, channel-hopping with determination. Gambit shrugged, grinning slightly at Warren's obvious irritation.

"Waiting to see who goes back with me to Magneto, ange," Gambit informed him with another casual shrug. "That's all. Madame instructed moi to await her orders," he added a bit mockingly, and Warren got to his feet in aggravation.

"Well, have fun sleeping out here," Warren said as he strode from the room. The Cajun waved a hand dismissively at his back, knowing what Magneto really sent him there for and determined to get it.

"You called?" Ray asked, sliding into a room in the basement with surprising ease, considering he wore his X-suit like all the rest of the team. Warren had received his own outfit with white highlights, and was currently hovering behind Deitra as Gambit smirked at them from across the room.

"I decided who is going to travel with Gambit to speak to Magneto," Ororo told them, and they blinked in surprise.

"I thought we were down here for a training exercise," Deitra objected, but the woman smiled innocently at them.

"Did I ever say that?"

"No," Bobby admitted grudgingly. They had all just assumed the reason they had been called to the basement, and Gambit couldn't help but snicker at their embarrassment.

"Well? Who's going?" Piotr demanded, flexing his muscles with a pointed look sent Gambit's direction. The other mutant only ignored him, actually appearing to be concentrating on what Ororo was saying. The X-Men remained silent as she surveyed them, pausing before answering his question.

"Deitra and Warren," she said finally. Warren's wings twitched in surprise, and Deitra's eyes widened.

"Us?" she repeated, pointing at herself. "You sure, Ororo?"

"Quite sure," she assured them. The fact that Deitra was quickly growing into the potential the Professor had foreseen for her could go unsaid for the time being, and Warren's ability to fly would provide a quick retreat if necessary.

"Why not me?" Piotr asked, clearly unhappy. As a matter of fact, the entire X-Men force didn't appear pleased, having apparently been counting on a chance to encounter Magneto.

"For the same reason I did not choose anyone else," she said pointedly. "All of you are quite eager to start a fight, or you would not look so disappointed. I can count on Deitra and Warren to remain calm," she added, shooting a warning glance in their direction. Deitra quickly threw up her hands in a sign of peace, while Warren only shifted behind her.

"When do we leave?" Deitra asked, deciding to get right down to business for the sake of avoiding an argument. Hair pulled up in a ponytail, a few pieces continued to fall into her eyes and she made a mental note to herself never to let Amara cut her hair again.

"Right now, so it is a good thing you are wearing your suits after all," Ororo told them calmly, and their jaws dropped at her blatant manipulation of them.

"Are we walking?" Warren asked a bit sarcastically, flexing his wings slightly. The white-haired woman smiled at this and shook her head.

"Of course not. Transportation is waiting," she said, gesturing to the garage door. Striding into the room, Deitra whistled in amazement when she saw the sleek motorcycles waiting for them.

"Only two?" Gambit noted, and had the grace to wince when Ororo's stern gaze fixed on him. She clearly didn't trust him not to steal one of their vehicles.

"Yes. You will ride with them and direct them as where to go," she said sternly, and heard a snort from Ray behind her.

"And who'll keep him from leading them right into a trap?" he demanded, but Xi'an sighed.

"We already went over that," the woman reminded him, having remained silent during the entire debate. She had already hashed out the plan with Ororo the night before and saw no need for her to involve herself further.

"Yeah, but –" Piotr began, arms crossed, but Ororo's raised hand was enough to silence him.

"Enough. You two, get going. Comms are already installed in the dash, so contact me if necessary," the woman ordered, and the X-Men headed towards the bikes without a second glance towards the rest of their concerned team.

"I'll ride with you, chère, if you aren't minding," Gambit remarked, swinging his leg over the seat and straddling it behind her gracefully, wrapping an arm around her waist firmly. She glanced at Warren with a raised eyebrow and nodded to Ororo before smirking.

"Hang on," she warned him, before shooting up the ramp and out into the woods on the grounds. Warren followed, both having taken driving courses since the Alcatraz incident and having grown quite capable of handling the machines.

"Think you're going fast enough, chère?" Gambit asked, but she only gripped the accelerator, actually enjoying the rush of speed.

"Where're we going, anyway?" Warren asked, a radio in their helmets to provide easy communication while riding. She glanced over at him and managed a small shrug.

"Ask him," she retorted, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the Cajun.

"Just keep going straight," he assured them.

"What country are we going to?" the young man asked snidely, wings tucked firmly against his back to prevent wind resistance. Both X-Men waited for a response, and Deitra narrowed her eyes when there was none forthcoming.

"Care to tell us?" she hinted.

"Up north," he said vaguely, waving his hand dismissively – not an easy feat, considering the speed they were currently going.

"Canada?" Warren guessed, and groaned when there was silence. "You're telling me farther?"

"Are we playing with any penguins or something?" Deitra asked suspiciously, and Gambit snorted.

"Not quite that far, végétale," he assured her, eliciting a groan from the nickname. "Just somewhere nice and isolated."

"Of course," she grumbled, before remembering it was springtime in that area and there would be plenty of new wildlife for her explore. Brightening at the idea, she grinned over at Warren, who returned it with a wink of his own.

"What is going on in here?" Ororo demanded that evening, striding into the danger room with a frown on her face. The remaining X-Men looked over at her with guilty expressions on her face, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm…"

"Shut up, Insta-Freeze," Ray threatened Bobby, who punched him in the side. "Ow!"

"Have I not told you before, the Danger Room is for training purposes only?" Ororo asked in exasperation. "Not to reenact your favorite scenes from Star Wars!"

"But, it's such a great place!" Ray protested, his Princess Leia-buns wig askew on his head as Piotr – who else but Chewbacca – held him aloft.

"You should see my C-3PO impression," Bobby added, a trash can acting R2-D2's pivotal role in the discovery of Han Solo and Luke in the prison blocks in Episode Four.

"I think I shall pass," the woman replied dryly, covering her eyes with a hand. "If anyone is ready to actually train, I would appreciate it," she added pointedly, and Piotr dropped 'Leia' with a shrug.

"You could've put me down," Ray grumbled, rubbing his backside and whisking his false buns off in an instant.

"What happened, anyway? I thought Magneto was coming here, and next thing we know you sent Deitra and Warren off with that mutant," the giant asked accusingly, eyeing Ororo with something akin to suspicion.

"I had our telepath contact Magneto to inform him that would not be necessary," she replied coolly. Since he and Deitra had been given second-in-command positions in the team, she had begun to have her patience sorely tested at times.

"Who is it? Can you tell us now?" Bobby asked, de-icing and striding over.

"Her name is Emma Frost. She currently lives in England, but I have requested her presence here to help us contact Deitra and Warren when necessary," Ororo finally said, eyeing each and every one of them. "I also need more teachers for the students, an arrangement to which she has agreed."

"So, she's joining the X-Men?" Ray checked.

"She already has," the woman informed them dryly. "I told you earlier, she is a covert operator for us overseas."

"So, how'd you get a hold of her, if she's undercover and all that?" the crackling mutant pressed.

"A phone."

"Oh."

"When is she arriving?" Piotr asked, and she glanced back at him.

"Tomorrow afternoon. And I expect all of you to show the proper respect to her," she added warningly. "She is a very powerful psychic, as well as a woman with very powerful connections. We are lucky to have her on our side."

"For how long?" Piotr grumbled under his breath. Ororo sent him a sharp look, but declined to respond.

"Now that we're far enough north to worry about running into grizzlies, are we there yet?" Warren demanded, stretching his wings briefly. The three had ridden all night, following Gambit's directions blindly, and the light of dawn was just beginning to brighten the trees around them.

"Turn here, ma chère," Gambit ordered, and she swerved the bike down a narrow dirt path through the trees, zigzagging with inhuman instincts to avoid a collision.

"You can slow down anytime!" her fellow X-Men yelled, and she obligingly hit the brakes with a grin. "You like these way too much," he complained, falling in behind her as she picked up the pace slightly.

"Yeah," Deitra admitted with a grin. "Blame Piotr, he kept taking me on the highways to get faster on 'em."

"We're almost here," Gambit interrupted, and they both fell silent to try to spot the camp before they drove into what could be a trap. Deitra didn't sense anything unusual around them, but suddenly swung the bike sideways and skidded several yards before coming to a smoking stop.

"You can walk the rest of the way," Sabretooth advised them, stepping out from behind a tree directly next to her. Glaring as they removed their helmets, Warren spread his wings defensively and earned a growl from the man.

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you," Warren advised a certain green figure, who glowered before stepping back. Falling in step with Deitra, the two X-Men strode through the trees with Sabretooth in front, Gambit in back.

As they came closer to the camp, they saw the base appeared to be in an underground cavern, if the large opening in the nearby mountain was any clue. Juggernaut was lingering near the entrance, and Deitra winced – he looked far too much like Avalanche for her comfort.

"Ah, I see you've returned, Gambit!" a voice called, and both adults were visibly startled to see how healthy Magneto looked as he strode from the cave to greet them. Garbed in his usual outfit, he looked even better than before he had been injected with the Cure.

"Of course, monsieur," the Cajun replied, sweeping a bow as he stepped to Deitra's other side. She suddenly got the feeling something was going on that they didn't know about, and instinctively reached out with her powers.

"It's a pleasure to see the both of you again," Magneto said graciously, and Deitra raised an eyebrow.

"When you're not trying to kill us, it's not bad to see you either," she agreed, and Warren folded his arms across his chest and did his best to keep from grinning. This wasn't going to be a pretty conversation, that much was obvious.

"I can see why Ororo sent you," the man chuckled, in his usual amicable tone. "Now, I'm sure Gambit informed you the reason I suggested a meeting."

"A truce until Mystique is under control," Warren volunteered, and was met with Magneto's own raised eyebrow.

"Very good," he said, nodding his head. "But I'm afraid that was merely a ruse to try to ensnare my true objective."

"We're hardly going to be hostages," Deitra began, but he shook his head.

"I'm glad Ororo sent you because my objective was to meet you, Deitra," he informed her, and she blinked. "You see, Charles had a reason for letting you enter the Institution that night, when you fled the Hand," the man continued calmly. "And for letting you join the X-Men. Your power over plants is enormously strong – it continues to grow. I'm sure you haven't been told anything – for your own sake, I'm sure." He said this with a snort, and Deitra frowned.

"What are you babbling about?" she demanded. "The Professor let us in because we needed help. And I joined the X-Men because I have a strong mutation, Ororo already told me that. It's why we're X-Men," she continued, in a 'duh' tone of voice.

"Your mutation is a very potent one, young lady," Magneto informed her. "You possess the potential to become one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. You already are one of the strongest on this continent," he added, and she turned pale.

"That's stupid," the young woman shot back, at a loss for words. What the man said made sense, unfortunately, and she had no idea how to take it.

"So, you're trying to use her like you used Rogue? And Jean?" Warren cut in angrily, stepping closer to Deitra and taking her arm. He glared down the mutants, wings stiff. "I don't think so," he spat.

"Her power is hardly as volatile as Jean's was, and not nearly as limited as Rogue's," the man replied in dry amusement. His look was amicable, but the fact that the Juggernaut and Sabretooth were not-so-subtly closing around them wasn't lost on the X-Men. "You and I can do great things together," he finished, giving her one last chance.

"I'll settle for the X-Men instead of world domination," Deitra replied. Magneto shook his head in apparent disappointment, but smiled thinly in her direction.

"A fool like your teachers," he said, and Warren hurled her aside as Toad leaped at them from the trees. She rolled to the side and stopped at Gambit's foot. Scrambling to her feet, she spared a glare for him before lifting Sabretooth up into the air.

"I had nothing to do with this, chère!" he protested, dodging back to avoid becoming involved in the fight. Gambit was ignored as she concentrated on keeping Avalanche at bay, and he saw Toad leaping at her a split-second too late.

"Gotcha!" the little man cackled, as he knocked her to the ground and pinned her.

"Get…off!" she grunted, and suddenly gasped as he plunged a needle into her neck.

"I'm so sorry it had to come to this," Magneto said, moving to stand over the frozen woman. "But I can't afford to let your powers continue at their current rate if you're going to stand with those foolish mutants."

"You didn't!" Gambit began, taking a step forward. Warren flew by him in a rage, a well-placed punch sending Toad flying across the clearing.

"You bastard!" the young man choked, pulling the needle from her neck. "You injected her with the Cure!"

"Yes, I managed to acquire a few last remnants before it was destroyed," the man said pleasantly, as Deitra began to moan softly. Warren debated on taking on the master of metal himself, but a glance at his pale comrade decided for him.

"You're going to pay for this," he promised, scooping her up and spreading his wings in preparation for flight.

"Not so fast," Magneto objected, narrowing his eyes. Warren turned as a motorcycle raised into the air, tensing as the machine flew in his direction. It exploded before it went too far, however, and Gambit stalked closer with another playing card in hand.

"I didn't agree to this, monsieur," he growled. "I can't abide stealing someone else's powers, no matter the cause."

"And you think you can stop me?" the man asked with a laugh, the other bike rising. Warren took off at this threat, hovering over the clearing for a split second before abandoning all hope of a fight and soaring away over the trees.

"No, but the X-Men can," the Cajun retorted, dodging the bike with a skilled roll and charging another card. "It hasn't been a pleasure, monsieur," he added, exploding the card in front of him. As the smoke cleared, the outline of the man could be seen heading in another direction. Sabretooth, released from his bonds, growled and stepped forward, but an outstretched hand from Magneto made him pause.

"Let him go," the man said lazily. "We have more important concerns, now that one of them has been dispatched for the time being."