(Eight)

Logan sat at the breakfast table, drinking his coffee with a satisfied smile. He had won the race and Jean had taken her punishment like the good girl she was. Of course, he'd let her cheat and said nothing as she dumped four spoons of sugar in her mug and a generous dollop of milk. She gave him an affectionate kiss and left him alone, returning to Scott as always. Same place, nothing's changed, except for the news. He had opened the morning paper and was reading about the recent violence.

His face crinkled in frustration when he saw a report of another suicide bombing, this time in a small road side cafe. Six people dead, all norms, and Jael claiming responsibility in a letter. Jael was the ultimate in mysterious bad guys. No one knew what he looked like or where he was. He just sent in his suicidal warriors to blow things up and then mailed long letters to the press, whining about how the norms stomped all over mutants and their rights. Jael wouldn't be happy until all the norms were slaughtered. The unspoken message here, of course, was that Jael was all too happy to take over as ruler after. Thank you. Thank you, very much.

"Fuckin' asshole," Wolverine muttered under his breath. Now things will just get worse.

"Who, me?" Bobby asked, coming in. He had his usual over bright smile and chipper attitude. "Or the guy who made the coffee?" he groaned, sniffing at it. He stuck his finger in the pot, using his power to freeze the contents and put the carafe in the sink. He clicked his tongue with mock sadness. "Oh, look. Coffee's gone cold. What a crying shame! Guess I'll just have to make more." He grinned and started another pot brewing. He used a lot less coffee grounds than Logan did.

Logan scowled darkly from under his eyebrows but said nothing.

Storm wandered in, rubbing her eyes. She took one look at the frozen carafe in the sink and its replacement brewing merrily. She smiled and gave Bobby a kiss. "You're my hero."

She went to the refrigerator and took out some bagels. The kitchen soon smelled like a coffee shop, warm and toasty. Or like home, Logan thought to himself contentedly. He blanked out his mind and half closed his eyes, pretending to read the paper, but was really taking in the sounds and smells of the place. He claimed to be a loner, but it was more like he just liked being around people, quietly watching over them and keeping them safe. He didn't need conversation, just the presence of other warm beings around him. He would never admit it aloud, being a private person, but he loved it here and had missed this place more than he had thought. He was happy now to be home.

He looked up from his musings when Rogue came in with someone he didn't recognize. He was a young man, early twenties, dark black hair and soft and gentle eyes. He wore a leather patched yuppy sweater over a starched shirt and tie and carried a leather satchel, like a lawyer's briefcase. No warrior this, Logan thought to himself and hardly the fiery Rogue's usual fare. It took a minute to sink in that Rogue wasn't wearing her body stocking as she always did. She had her hand in his and was touching this young man with her bare skin and nothing was happening.

She gave Wolverine a beaming smile. "Logan, this is Manny Cortez. He joined us just after you guys left."

Logan extended his hand and sniffed at him to get his scent, standard operating procedure with anyone new. He grinned, showing Manny his teeth in a dominating sneer, wanting to establish his authority early. "Mornin'."

"Good morning," Manny replied nervously, shrinking back a bit at Logan's toothy smile. Still, he dared to shake offered hand with the vigor of the young and enthusiastic. "Sorry I couldn't join you last night, but I had a late class."

Logan endured the rough handling. As they clasped hands, Wolverine's eyes squinted when he felt a strange rubbery sensation between them. There was some kind of invisible barrier and he realized they weren't really touching at all. He had seen this before, this wasn't the first mutant he had met with a personal force field that was constantly on and providing protection. It made him invulnerable, but he never actually touched anyone with his true skin. The barrier would always be there.

Manny noticed Wolverine's attention and grinned. "It's my force field. I'm invulnerable."

Oh, I get it now, Wolverine thought to himself. Rogue found herself someone she can touch with her bare skin. His barrier protects him from her mutation. No wonder she dumped Remy so fast. What a cheap shot, darlin'.

Out loud Logan said, "Great. What brings ya ta us?"

"The Professor said I would be safer with you guys because of all the recent violence. I'm a student at the University and I'm taking up the medical sciences. Charles thought I might be useful here as a teacher."

"Good fer you," Wolverine said, trying to choke back his anger.

It wasn't really Manny he was angry with. It was just like Rogue to go and pull a move like this. Gambit was sure to take off and they needed everyone here and accounted for. The Professor had confided in him this morning his desire to track down Jael and take care of the meddlesome prick - not the Professor's words of course, but Logan just knew that's what he meant - once and for all. They would need Remy to do this.

"You talk to Gambit about him?" he asked rudely, nodding at their show of intimacy.

"Sure," Rogue said, her eyes just a little too nervous. "We met with him this morning. He took it very well. You know Gambit, nothing ever fazes him."

Storm froze behind him, sensing Wolverine's escalating temper. She turned to face Rogue but said nothing, waiting to see how all this was going to play out. Remy was one of her closest friends, or at least he had been before Antarctica. She had brought him on the team in the first place and still cared about him even if she didn't show it as much as she used to.

Rogue, you fuckin' bitch, Logan said to himself. He loved the girl, he really did, but this time she had gone too far. She didn't know Remy as well as she thought she did. Gambit had just come back from a very difficult mission for him and Logan regarded his condition as fragile from what he'd just gone through with Kimble's unintentional file sharing. Of course the thief would hide it, but Logan just bet Remy was wrecked.

"Well, I gotta run," he said, rising. He had to find Gambit.

Manny was immune to Wolverine's terse manner, he was deliriously happy with the young woman beside him. "Maybe I'll be seeing you around."

"Never can tell."

He shot Rogue a hard look, but she just gave him an arrogant smile. He had never intimidated her, she was invulnerable as well as able to fly. She outmatched him often in the Danger Room and had a wild spirit to boot. Logan just shook his head and left, taking his coffee with him.

He went upstairs and checked Gambit's tiny room. He saw the rumpled sleeping bags that were casually tossed onto the wooden chair and deduced that he had spent the night outside with Kimble. Okay, Gambit hadn't come back up to sleep some more even though it was still early. His bed hadn't been disturbed. Logan did a quick check of the closet and saw the overnight bag Remy usually used if he took off. This could be a good sign, he didn't pack anything. Logan peeked out the window. It gave a good view of the garage. Remy's black Jeep Wrangler was still there. Even better.

Wolverine went down to the lower level and wasn't surprised to find the Danger Room locked out and running. Gambit had by-passed the computer controls and wouldn't let any one else in. Scott was out front, bitterly complaining to Jean about it. Logan just walked past them to the control room door, using a special key word to get by. He had long watched the kid after his return trying to get back into shape, and being no slouch at breaking and entering himself, had made a point of discovering Remy's password. He hadn't had much need to use it before this, but he was certainly happy to have it trotted up the stairs to the control room and looked out through the main viewing window.

The Danger Room was a large training room the X-men used to hone their fighting skills. It was actually a large holographic chamber that simulated dangerous situations, but had failsafes in place to minimize injury. Of course, Remy had switched off most of those. Like Wolverine, when Gambit was stressed, he worked it off using the more risky and hazardous programs in the system. He had called up a program of a warehouse and he was surrounded by a large pack of holographic thugs with crude, homemade weapons. No guns, Logan saw thankfully, but Remy was still outmatched, ten to one.

Remy dove at them and went to work. He was oddly silent as he went at them, using a bo staff and all of his hand to hand skills. He was lightning fast and made short work of most of them. Logan couldn't help but smile at his skill and fearlessness. It didn't matter that they weren't real, he wouldn't have been intimidated by the real thing either. Gambit danced around them, using everything. The walls, the packing crates, the tools nearby. They were all potential weapons or launching pads for his acrobatics.

Wolverine glanced at the run time clock and was surprised to see that Remy had been at this for at least a couple of hours, well beyond the usual recommended work out time. He was wearing the same clothes they had arrived in and Logan guessed he probably hadn't slept much. He must be exhausted.

Remy snarled and vaulted off of a stack of crates, doing a perfect ariel back flip and kicking out with both legs to stun two opponents at once. He landed a bit off his pace and stumbled, allowing a third man to viciously smack him in the head with a long dowel he was using as a club. Gambit flew back and landed with a graceless thud, out cold. Because Remy had shut off the failsafes, his opponent continued to advance. This was why they weren't supposed to work out alone. Both he and Wolverine were the rule breakers and often ignored that standard protocol. Thing was Logan could heal rapidly enough to recover on time, Remy could not.

Logan hit the panic button on the console, ending the program and went down the stairs leading to the inner chamber. He crossed the now empty Danger Room to where the battered thief lay on the floor. He was waking up, his sides heaving from the work out. He rubbed the side of his face where a large red welt was rising. "Uhhnn..." he groaned, still not really aware.

"You okay?" Wolverine growled roughly, letting Gambit know his displeasure at his risk taking.

"Uhhnn...sure t'ing, Wolvie. Never better."

Logan sniffed at him. His body stank and he had clearly pushed himself way beyond his limit. "Yeah, I can see that."

Remy slowly sat up and blinked woozily around him. He swept his sweat soaked hair back from his eyes and slowed his breathing, trying to will his body into submission. He was shaking badly and didn't know if he could stand. He was wasted.

Wolverine crouched down next to him and sniffed at him again. "I met Manny this morning."

Jus' like Logan t' get right to de point, Remy thought to himself. "Oui, he's too cool. A real asset to de team," he said sarcastically, sharing Logan's opinion of Manny's obvious weakness. He had seen that Manny would never be a fighter like them. Maybe his alliance with Rogue could get him a spot in the Inner Circle, but he would never be truly useful. Not in a sense that mattered to these two battered warriors for Xavier's cause. Of course there was more to Remy's dislike of Manny than that and Logan knew it.

"You okay with this?"

" 'Course. Dat skunk haired bitch never mean nuthin' to dis boy. She jus' de first fille in line. Plenty others waitin'," Remy blurted out with false pride. He growled in frustration and jammed both his fists into his eyes, determined not to let Logan see him cry.

If Remy had thought Rogue's note was the worst of this new personal crisis, he had been sadly mistaken. Sure Rogue had dumped him for someone else, but even then Gambit hadn't perceived the newcomer as a real threat. He figured no matter what, the playing ground would still be even, a guy was a guy. He had been wrong. When he saw that she had dumped him for someone who could touch her with his bare hands, that had changed the dynamics of the situation significantly. Now, as dramatically as if she had gone lesbian on him, Remy was unable to compete. No black velvet bags of tricks could stack up to Manny's advantage, no matter how yuppie and bland the guy was. Gambit was deeply crushed, unable to cope, and so had come in here to try and work it off, to burn off the last of his emotions until there would be nothing left.

Logan was never one to be affectionate, but he put an arm around Remy's shoulders in a clumsy gesture of concern. This sucked and he wanted the kid to know he wasn't alone in it. He said nothing, just simply waited to see what Remy was going to do.

Gambit took a deep breath and shifted, moving his body just slightly out of Logan's reach, his way of saying that while he appreciated the comfort, he was still trying to deal with this on his own. He was falling back into his old defensive posture here at the house and Logan could almost see the wall come up, the one that separated the thief from everyone else, at least from those who had hurt him so badly. Remy got to his feet in an awkward shuffle and wiped at his face, typically hiding the fact that it was more than just sweat he was clearing away.

Logan nodded, accepting this as just how things were. They were men, X-men, and oh so good at keeping everything locked away, nice and tidy. "Go get cleaned up and get some rest. Charlie's got some work fer us later."

Remy nodded and staggered off, heading towards the locker room and the showers. Logan watched him go. He didn't need to be thanked for his timely rescue or his show of concern, they were both members of the Outer Circle and they looked after their own.