"Well, today's a nice day fer a walk 'round the grounds, maybe check on the alarms, huh?" Logan asked, sitting down next to his daughter, Remy, and Danial. They didn't answer, knowing what his hidden joke meant. It had been a month since Ellen had angrily left the mansion and not once had the group of mutants attacked them. The professor hadn't found any trace of them nearby, and it was common opinion that the group had disbanded after the destruction of their base and deaths of Salla and Hype.
"Huh," was all Remy said, and Steph remained quiet.
"Still no word?" Logan asked, no longer teasing.
"What do you think?" Steph snapped. Logan's face tightened.
"Quiet," he said. "I'm still yer father, just cause yeh blame me fer Ellen runnin' off don't mean yeh can talk teh me like that."
"Yeah," Steph grumbled. Logan nodded and the rest of the meal remained quiet and undisturbed, until Scott and Remy Sr. arrived, looking grim.
"We gotta get up t' de Professor," Remy Sr. said, looking furious. Logan and the teenagers stood up and Scott shook his head as his son started to open his mouth.
"We need to have a meeting, the other X Men are already waiting for us," he said.
"What's goin' on?" Logan asked. Remy and Steph looked at eachother.
"She was right, wasn't she?" Steph said. "Ellen was right, the muties are coming, aren't they?" Remy studied Scott's face carefully as Steph spoke, his own father wouldn't give anything away except anger, but he could read Scott's expression clearly. Ellen had been right.
---
"Vy did they not just attack? Vy varn us before?" Kurt was asking as the small group arrived. As Steph walked in Ruhko threw herself at her sister.
"Beesha!" she cried, as Steph caught her.
"What?" Steph said, looking at her younger sister. Ruhko pointed at the window behind Xavier's desk, and all of the sudden the four newcomers were aware that it was broken, the glass shards on the floor carefully covered with brightly colored fabric so nobody would step of it and Ruhko would not become fascinated by the shining pieces.
"What happened?" Logan growled.
"We got a note," Xavier said simply. "Carried in by a rock. No doubt the large mutant Hank fought a while back was the one to throw it from beyond the alarms, it's message is simple."
"What?" Remy asked.
"The Labs want you three, Hank, and Ellen to surrender yourselves to them, immediately, or they will, quote, burn the mansion to the ground and rips us all to shreds," Xavier said, shaking his head and handing the crumpled note to Logan and the teenagers. "We all know that this is not an option, but we do not know the exact course we should take to prepare for any kind of attack."
"Humph, you'd think they'd at least get a better speller to write this," Steph said, reading the note. "They spelled 'destruction' wrong, 'immediately' too."
"This is no laughing matter," Jean chided.
"We should evacuate the children first," Ororo said. Xavier nodded.
"But vere do you take so many mutant children?" Kurt asked. "Vonce ve vould take them here, this vos the only place for them, but now they cannot be here either?"
"I have a friend in England who runs a boarding house, where the children stay," Xavier said. "I have already contacted her and she'll be glad to take them for a while. But one of the adults will need to accompany them, for the trip there and back, and helping her watch over them. All of the parents who sent their children here have also been notified, and some of the children will be returning to their homes." There was a silence after this, only broken by Ruhko struggling to get out of Steph arms, and Steph grunting with the effort of keeping her little sister.
"We're stayin'," Remy said immediately. The adults looked at him, and Xavier nodded slowly.
"Yes, I fear that in this fight we will need as many X Men as we have, Bobby, Rogue, Jubilee, and Kitty will also be staying unless they wish to leave," he said.
"What about Ellen?" Danial asked.
"Stop it!" Steph hissed at Ruhko.
"She'll have been long gone by now," Scott sighed.
"Maybe, but we've got-" Danial was cut off as Ruhko cried out in alarm as she slid down Steph's front and landed on her butt on the floor with a loud squeak.
"Well I told you!" Steph cried out in exasperation as Remy took the opportunity of the adults looking at Steph as she struggled to pick Ruhko up again, who was wailing loudly and trying to crawl away.
"Don' say nuthin, mon ami," Remy hissed. Danial nodded, not understanding why but not about to do anything stupid to get his new friends in trouble.
"Give 'er teh me," Logan was saying, taking Ruhko from Steph as the teen handed her over gladly, sulking.
"She likes Rogue better, why ain't she here?" she asked. It was the first time Remy and Danial noticed that none of the other Junior X Men were there.
"Dey went out t' lunch," Remy Sr. explained, seeing their confused expressions. "Not back yet."
"Humph," Steph said. "Figures they're out smoochin' while we deal with invaders about too kill us!"
"Relax," Logan said, nudging her with an elbow. "Any tighter 'bout this n' yeh could explode. Yer the kinda kid that takes action, n' doesn't worry 'bout this kinda stuff, so don't take it seriously n' yeh'll be better off for it."
"Can't say that's the advice I'd give her," Ororo smiled. "Nevertheless, I agree with Logan, you three, Remy and Steph especially, usually excel when you're breaking rules or sneaking around. Perhaps you could do what you'd normally do, only keep us posted this time, alright?"
"Sure," Steph said. "Can we go now? We have to get ready, when will the kiddies be leavin'?"
"This evening," Scott said. "Jean, if you and Milana would accompany them..."
"You just want me away from the fighting," Jean said, shaking her head. "But we'll look after the children, right Milana?"
"I'd much rather look after my child," Milana sighed, looking at Remy and shaking her head. "But I suppose only womanly power will safely see the children to all of their homes. You three, try and avoid major trouble, and you!" She looked at her husband, who had sneaked his arm around her waist from behind. He gave her an innocent look, but his son laughed and ruined any chance of sympathy.
"Oui petite?" he said. Milana shook her head.
"If I come home and find our room a mess, or my son injured or in any danger at all, it will be on your head!" Her husband nodded vigorously.
"I get dat," he said, "De room stays clean, de boy-"
"Hey!" Remy said indignantly. Remy Sr. ignored him.
"If de boy gets 'imself in any trouble, I get 'im out 'fore you get back, an' in one piece," he nodded again and Milana sighed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and then pulling away.
"Come on Jean," she said, walking to the door. "Let's get ready for a field trip." Jean nodded and the two women left. When the door clicked shut Steph looked around.
"We'll be off then," she said, turning to the door. Logan caught her shoulder and she stopped with one foot still in the air.
"N' where do ya think yer goin?" he growled.
"To scheme," Steph said, putting her foot down and keeping her voice as innocent as possible. "It is what Professor Xavier told us to do, are you gonna make me ignore our beloved teacher? Will you, daddy, make me choose between you and the other man who has become my role model and almost-but-not-really-godfather?" Her voice hit a whining note as she turned, her eyes sparkling with the promise of tears if she needed them to make her point. Xavier hid a smile while Hank chuckled and Scott sighed. Ororo, Remy, and Danial turned away to keep from laughing, but only Logan seemed to take it seriously.
"Fine," he said after a moment, caving in as a small tear tumbled down Steph's cheek. Gently Logan wiped it away and smiled, "Aw, cut it out n' get outta my sight." Steph immediately beamed and threw her arms around him.
"I knew I loved ya," she said, no trace of tears left. Then, before Logan could do anything she threw open the door and bounded out, followed closely by her friends, and all three of them burst out laughing as they ran.
"Vell, it seems she still know how to get vat she vants, my friend," Kurt laughed. Logan growled.
"I know," he said. "I knew she was fakin' it, though."
"Women," Remy Sr. said, shaking his head. "Dey all de same."