The glass and steel building of Myriad Corp. loomed ahead of them, and Ororo lowered her binoculars. "Now remember, the cameras are pointed at the lawn as well. We'll have five seconds to make it two hundred feet."

"Piece of cake. Piece of strawberry shortcake…ooh…I'm hungry." Jean said as she adjusted her headset and backpack.

"I thought I told you to eat before we left."

"And since when did I start listening to you?"

"Can you guys move it along. The patrol will be coming around in ten." Remy's voice came over their sets, making it seem as if he were standing right behind them. Ororo rolled her eyes and exhaled, psyching herself up.

"Yeah, yeah. We're moving." The redhead jerked her finger towards the roof. "Let's have some fun."

"Yes, lets." The girls slid out of the bushes, dressed in matching garb of black formfitting suits. Not one ounce of wasted material on them, allowing full freedom of movement as they made their way over to the smooth surface of the structure with cat like grace.

They were silent as Ororo turned Jean around to unzip the book bag, taking out two grappling hooks. Jean zipped it back up as she was handed her hook, and they both threw them onto the roof. It caught on the ledge, and the women quickly and quietly ran up the side.

Once on the roof Jean repacked their equipment, Ororo taking out her glass cutter and placing it on the brilliant shell of glass that was the roof. Turning it on, it released a low grade laser, easily slicing through the material in a wide circle. Lifting it off, she bowed to Jean playfully, allowing the redhead to jump in first.

Jean landed on the support beam above the lobby, catching her balance quickly as she rolled to give Ororo room. She dropped in next, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you two okay? You should be in by now." Remy said, hating to be left behind. He wanted to help, because whatever they thought, he didn't want them harmed.

"Yeah, we're in. Will you stop badgering us?" Ororo snapped, hitting herself on the forehead as she lost control.

" 'Ro, chill, okay? He's not the problem. Let's just do this quickly and get out." Jean ran along the beam, stopping at the display case for the statue. It was a squat and ugly thing to her, clay with small and murky diamonds adorning it. She turned to her best friend and shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's roll out the line so I can get a better look." She said, getting their rope rig. Jean looked down at the beam they were standing on and cocked her head.

"Will this be strong enough?"

"Let's check before we try, shall we?" Ororo moved back, away from Jean and held out her arms on both sides, Jean doing the same. "Ready?"

"Ready." Both jumped into the air, flipping swiftly and landing back on their feet, throwing down all of their weight forcefully. The beam shook, wood dust rising, but it held. "Oh good. Come on, get your ass down there so we can leave." Jean placed the rig on the beam, tightening it up and giving Ororo the end.

She wrapped it around her leg, securing it tightly. "Set." Jean nodded and Ororo fell backwards, stopping with a jolt that had her wincing.

"Sorry." Ororo looked up and shook her head. Jean lowered her slowly, her head six inches above the top of the display case. Leaning back, Jean watched her friend work, her part over for now. "So Remy, are you there?"

"No."

"Cute. Did you enjoy the club last night?" Remy sighed and rubbed his eyes, leaning back against the couch as he remembered the whole night. He danced until two o'clock with Marie, and all he could talk about was Ororo Munroe. She listened to him with a smile, surprisingly understanding of the whole situation. When he went to apologize to her, he found she had left him and Jean, and he didn't see her until they left to check out the security the following afternoon.

"Yeah. Marie can move." Jean wisely pushed the button that would allow her and Remy to talk privately as Ororo worked to maneuver beyond the motion sensors below.

"That she can. You know, this is like Charlie's Angels meets Mission Impossible2." Jean thought that over. "Although I think I look better than Cameron Diaz."

"Is this what you talk about when you're on a job?"

"Yes. Unless there is something better. I mean, do you want to here how severe my last period was?"

"I think you do look better than Cameron Diaz." Remy said hastily.

"Figured. You can be Bosley."

"Bosley. I am too good looking to be called Bosley."

"I'm sorry, but you've got to be someone. Unless you want to be 'The Chad'."

"You're sadistic."

"That I am." She looked down at Ororo, who was motioning her arms. She signed the word 'key', and Jean raised her eyebrow. Spelling 'laser', Jean looked surprised, throwing down the key that would manipulate the lock.

"Any problems?"

"No, just ran into something we didn't expect. How much longer do we have?"

"Five minutes." Remy checked his watch.

"We'll be long gone by then." Ororo bit her lip and quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, it almost giving them away. She didn't know Forge had sold the patent for his laser lock, glad she had a key configured to it before they left for separate colleges. She frowned involuntarily. Forge, that bastard.

The lock popped without a sound, Ororo catching the door before it could set off the alarm. Reaching in carefully, her glove hand grasped the statue, pulling a seven point two three weight out of her cleavage and placing it on the velvet platform, dodging another alarm. She placed it in her bag and tugged on her rope, interrupting Jean's laugh and closing the door.

"Ready?"

"Yes. Let's go, unless you're too busy flirting with Remy." Ororo retorted, reaching up to grab the beam. Jean took the statue and put it in her pack, taking the rig a loose and turning to allow Ororo access to the bag as well.

"Three minutes ladies." Remy said, on edge.

"We're leaving." Jean said as they ran back to their exit.

"Correction. We're gone." Ororo jumped up through the hole, reaching back in and giving Jean a hand, both women placing the heavy glass back in the hole, Ororo taking her glass cutter with her.

Leaping to the ground, they stayed in the shadows for seven seconds, running over the manicured lawns towards their car on the next street. Footfalls on the concrete made the two women freeze, ducking into the nearest bush as an early patrol made its way around the lawn. The scant light from the street revealed a security uniform, a rather scrawny man holding a night stick unthreateningly. Jean grimaced as the man looked around slowly, and walked back to where he came from. Once he left they waited another two minutes just in case, before tumbling out.

"Ooww…" Ororo moaned, biting her lip as she rotated her shoulder. "Of all the bushes you chose, you picked a sticker bush. A big, sticker bush."

"Look Mother Nature, I couldn't glance at the shape of the leaves and know what it was, where it came from, and if it's in season. That's your job, remember… ugh. I'm going to have to go to the dermatologist. Who knows what kind of pesticide they spray on these plants." Jean grumbled as they ran to their car. Jumping in, they sped away.

"If you bleed on my upholstery, you're walking." Ororo said, leaning forward.

"Your concern is endearing."

*

Remy opened the door anxiously, glad as he saw the two disheveled women walk in tiredly. "What happened?"

"We had a run in with some aggressive shrubbery." Jean limped over to the couch and put her back down, and walked to her room. "Wake me for the flight. That's it."

"Good night sunshine." Ororo said deadpan.

"Screw you bitch."

"Love you too." Her door closed and she walked over to Jean's pack, opening it and giving Remy the bag. "Here it is. You can scurry back to your employer and tell him we kept our word."

"I don't scurry anywhere." Remy said, snatching the bag. This woman was a paradox. She alienated him as she drew him closer, infuriating as she was arousing. There was nothing in the middle about her. He immediately regretted yanking it out of her grasp as she winced, grabbing her shoulder. "You okay?"

"It's not like you care." Ororo turned away, the pain and the hurt in her heart clouding her mind. She just knew she had to get away. Closing her door, she stripped off her shirt and bra, putting on a camisole that left her wound bare. Getting some cotton balls and the peroxide, she dabbed some on a ball and tried to get to the middle of her back.

Groaning in frustration, she jumped as another hand closed over hers, taking the ball from her grasp. Ororo turned, eyes wide at the sight of Remy, so close to her. "Let me do this chere. You can't reach it, and it will get infected." He turned her around gently, cleansing the room. "Why are you so stubborn?" Remy asked, dabbing the multiple cuts with the precision of someone who has done it many times before.

"I am not. If you didn't work for that man…"

"But I do. Does that change your feelings for me?" He placed the bandage on the site, pushing the adhesive to make sure it clung. His fingers trailed off of the gauze, to her satiny skin, warm and chocolaty, a definite contrast with his own.

"How could you work for someone like that?" She asked, turning to him. Remy sighed and took her hand.

"Because when I was twelve years old I was alone. I didn't have any parents that I knew of, and I pickpocketed and hitchhiked my way up north to New York City. I wanted to be in a big city where no one knew me.

"It was winter, and being a Louisiana kid, I had no idea how harsh it could be during north chill. I didn't want to go to a shelter, and I had no coat. I got trapped in a rainstorm one night, and caught a cold.

"I was very sick, and I stumbled into a warehouse. I almost collapsed on a group of boxes when this guy spotted me. I tried to get away, but I was already weak, and I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

"He took me to Mr. Logan Roche, who was conducting some 'business' at that time of night. I was running a high fever and delirious, and when he asked me what was I doing there, I just told him the first thing that came to my mind. I said the cops were on their way.

"Logan looked at me for a moment, then gave the order to move out. Everything was cleared away, and as they shoved me into his limo, the police pulled up. I still don't know why I said that, but it saved my life.

"He said he was grateful, and opened the door to let me out. I stumbled into the snow, but got up, determined to put some distance between the group of men and myself. But I didn't get two feet before I fell flat on my face. I woke up two days later, and Logan Roche has helped me ever since." Remy shrugged. "I owe him my life."

"I see. What did you do for him?" Ororo asked, taking the slightly bloody cotton ball from him, throwing it in the wastebasket.

"Small things at first. Errands, counting money. Then around fifteen he started having me snatch things. I was really good, never got caught, never left a trail. He'd use me against his competition. I went to college and got a business degree, and helped build his legitimate enterprises. "

"Why don't you just go into business for yourself?"

"I'm in too deep chere. I know things that would keep someone awake for life. This isn't a life you walk away from…alive." A shiver went through her body, and instinctively Remy put his arms around her. "You okay?"

"I worry about you." Ororo smiled sheepishly, pushing a lock of hair from his eyes. They were standing so close, his body heat warming her inside and out.

"I didn't know you cared." He stared at her lips, watching them move as she talked, the sweet fullness of them so close he couldn't stand it. He had to kiss her.

"I do." Whatever she had the mind to say afterwards was swallowed up in the feel of his lips against hers, hard and soft at the same time, unrelenting as Remy pulled her closer. Her arms snaked around his neck, causing them to meld comfortably as he plundered her mouth.

He tasted of tobacco and masculinity, and an exciting smell she could not name. It seeped into her pores and turned her on, his hands drifting down to her hips, which started to move on their own.

They broke apart breathlessly, still clinging to each other as if they were the only anchors in the world. "I need you 'Roro…" Remy whispered, causing her eyes to flutter shut at the sound of her name. "I need you so badly. Ever since I met you I knew you were to be mine." His kisses trailed down her cheek, across her pulse point.

"I am not an object Remy." The words came out half hearted, for she wanted to be his, and his alone, the thought sending a thrill through her.

"Non chere. You like a jewel, too precious to let out of my sight and protection. Be mine Ororo." He pulled back to stare into her eyes. She gazed back, knowing she had found her soul mate as she looked into his eyes. Ororo saw herself reflected in them, and a life that would be full of love if she could just take a chance…if she just took a chance.