"Ah, Remy," Xavier said as Remy entered, his father shutting the door behind him.
"Yeah?" Remy asked, seeing that Logan, Steph, and Scott were there as well. Steph looked as confused as Remy and she nodded with a quick smile in silent greeting.
"Well, there's no point in wasting time," Scott said. "Danial and Hank are keeping Ellen busy right now, otherwise my son would be here as well, and Hank would to."
"What do ya mean? Keeping Ellen busy?" Steph said suspiciously. Logan put his hand on her shoulder.
"What do you know about her?" he asked. Steph and Remy both looked at him, confusion clear in there expressions.
"What?" Steph said. "She saved our butts in the Labs and helped us escape."
"But do you know anything about her?" Scott asked.
"What's goin' on?" Remy asked suspiciously. Steph opened her mouth to answer Scott when Remy shook his head. "No, you tell us what's up 'fore we say anyt'in!"
"Remy," his father said in a warning voice.
"Ellen helped us get de doc out, n' she's helpin' us out against de muties dat wanna kill us, n' you're talkin' like she's some kinda threat!" Remy said, glaring at the adults. Steph looked at her father, then at the professor.
"What's going on?" she demanded. Xavier sighed.
"Ellen... might be a part of the mutant group that attacked you and Hank," he said.
"What?!" Remy and Steph cried.
"Where's the proof?" Steph said angrily. Logan growled.
"The proof? A human came up here this mornin' looking fer Ellen, an' I answered but he wouldn't talk t' me, he looked mad n' then he left," Logan said. "An' he was wearing a uniform."
"So?" Remy said.
"So I had the security up, n' he got through it in one piece. A human, after Ellen went 'round and checked out all o' the traps n' was left alone out there to show the guy how teh get through 'em," Logan growled. Scott cleared his throat.
"That's what we speculate," he said. "We can find no other reason right now."
"That don't mean a t'ing!" Remy shouted.
"That mean's plenty if it's true," Xavier said. "We do not want to falsely accuse her, but for the security of the mansion we need to be sure that she did not tell anyone how to bypass the security alarms protecting us."
"Ellen wouldn't be working with the labs," Steph said huffily, glaring at Xavier.
"How do you know? Have you ever even asked her?" Scott asked. Remy and Steph paused. They hadn't, they'd just assumed she wasn't because she had almost been killed trying to save them. Remy looked up and saw the small thread of suspicion and fear that fluttered through Steph's otherwise angry face, and she saw the same in his black and red eyes.
"There's no way she'd..." Steph stopped and just shook her head.
"We know she's your friend," Ororo said. "And we know she saved your life, and we're all grateful to her for it, but we can't let that gratefulness drop just because we are."
Remy and Steph left then, their bond letting both know exactly when they'd had enough and turning simultaneously they walked out of the room. No one made any move to stop them, and once they reached Remy's room they collapsed on his bed and beanbag the old couch they had brought up a while ago and didn't speak for a long time.
"What if it's true?" Steph asked finally. Remy sat up.
"Do you t'ink it's true petite?" he said.
"No, well, I don't feel it could be true," she admitted. "But Rem, they made some sense, and we don't know." Remy nodded and leaned back on his headboard.
"Dere are many explanations for de man your pa met dis mornin'," he said. "I t'ink we'd better talk t' El before anyone does anyt'in 'bout it." Steph nodded in agreement just as Danial called to them.
- Ellen's left, he said. She's coming to find you, how did the meeting go? -
- Ya shoulda told us 'fore what ya were up t', - Remy replied.
- Sorry, - Danial said sincerely. - But Father asked me not to, she's coming down the hall, I'd start talking about something innocent. - The connection broke off and Remy and Steph looked at eachother, feeling guilty about not telling Ellen what was going on they struck up a conversation about pranks they'd played and forced themselves to laugh as Ellen walked in through the door.
"Here you are," she said, not smiling.
"Hey," Steph replied. "You know what's funny? My dad when you've put itching powder in his night shirt and boxer drawers." Ellen didn't smile but Remy laughed, remembering the four or five times they had played the same joke on Logan. It had never ceased to be amusing until the punishments were dealt out, getting worse every time until it was truly hazardous to try the same thing again.
"So, what's going on?" Ellen asked.
"What ya mean chere?" Remy asked nonchantly.
"I mean, you're all very tense and when I walk by the adults in the hall they get all stiff. There was a meeting wasn't there?"
"Why would ya t'ink dat?" Remy asked. Ellen scowled.
"Because I heard Jean and Scott talking about it," she said. "If you people wanted to know anything you should ask, you shouldn't have meetings, it's not right." With that she leaned on the doorframe and waited expectantly as Steph and Remy looked down guiltily.
"Sorry chere," Remy said.
"We didn't know they were having a meeting," Steph said. "They surprised us. They- they said a guy got past all the defenses and was looking for you."
"And they thought I told him how to get by? Jeez, you people are really-" suddenly Danial pushed in and tripped, falling over and hitting the floor hard, then looking up.
"Sorry," he muttered. "Just getting away from father... uh, what was it you were saying?" The three teens looked at him and Ellen sighed.
"If they think I'm a threat, I'll leave," she said.
"No!" Steph said immediately. "We want ya here, just 'cause a couple a old farts are suspicious-"
"Have you ever tried living under suspicion?" Ellen asked. Steph thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Then you cannot possibly know how annoying and impossible it is. The man who showed up on your doorstep was probably just Habi, my grandfather, and was merely a ghost mutant, if you know what I mean. The guy's not even completely alive, and wouldn't trip an alarm in the White House. Ask Logan if he smelled anything if you don't believe me. Habi's always had an attitude , he probably was too impatient for Logan and that's why all of you suspect me now."
"We don'-" Remy began.
"Oh please, I could smell the suspicion when I walked into the room," Ellen said, rolling her eyes.
"Our parents just want to be sure," Danial said. "They just want us to be safe."
"Fine," Ellen said, turning her head. "Then I will leave. Should you need my help, I will be a call away. Good luck with the mutants, Remy, Steph, Danial." She tossed a small communicator to Remy and before the teen could reply walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
The three looked at eachother for a moment and then Remy and Steph jumped up and opened the door, but Ellen was already gone, an open window in the hall looking out to the lawns, where Bat raced off and disappeared into the woods. Danial followed the pair somewhat slower.
"I suppose the professor already knows she's gone," Steph said quietly.
"I suppose de chere ain't gonna be too happy wit us," Remy replied, looking at the communicator and then pocketing it.
"Shouldn't you give that to the adults?" Danial asked. Remy shook his head.
"Dey would either try 'n call 'er back, or get rid of it," he said. "Remy'll keep it fer when we need it."
"We will need it," Steph said, crossing her arms and glaring at the forest. "We needed her help, but the adults drove her away. We're gonna need her to help in this fight."
"What makes you think there will even be a fight?" Danial asked. "Maybe Ellen was just being paranoid, she seems like the type. What if they decide to leave us alone and never attack?"
"What if dey do?" Remy replied.
"What if we stop talking like this and go tell the professor that the suspicion just drove Ellen off?" Steph asked, throwing her hands up in the air and marching away. The two boys exchanged looks and followed her, bumping into Scott and Jean, who were talking. Steph growled at them.
"What?" Scott asked.
"Ellen jus' left," Steph said in her best Logan impersonation. "An' it's yer fault, bub, she heard yeh talkin' an' she left."
"Oh my," Jean said, looking worried. "She heard us talking about the meeting?" Scott turned his head.
"I didn't even know she was coming... she left? Was she angry?"
"Well she wasn't happy!" Steph said, turning away. "But she's still up to helpin' us if we ask her, I can't believe you even suspected her anyway!"
"What else could we have thought? She herself said our suspicion should be high right now," Jean said reasonably.
"Well, de chere left n' Remy's gonna miss 'er," Remy said, following as an indignant Steph huffed off.
"Danial," Jean said. Danial looked at the two leaving and then at his parents. Knowing what it meant Danial Gray Summers turned his back to his parents for the first time in his sixteen years of life.