Disclaimer: I do not own X-men, boo-hoo .

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Etienne leaned back in his chair and massaged his arm where the stimulator Beast had implanted two days ago was making his bones ache. The stimulator generated a weak electromagnetic field that somehow stimulated his bones to heal faster than normal. The only problem was if he took painkillers, then the control he had on his empathy slipped. Last time he had tried it, he had ended up crying over bowls of death-by-chocolate ice cream with Kitty while she was telling him about her latest fight with Kurt. It wouldn't have been so embarrassing but everyone who walked into the kitchen also started crying as he projected her sorrow to them. He would never live that down. Now all the girls in residence thought of him as a great sounding board for all their guy problems. Not that he minded spending time with the ladies, but there were some things he just did NOT want to know. Next t'ing y' know dey want me t' attend a slumber party t' discuss what guys like while watching chick-flicks. He shook at the mere thought of something that horrible.

He turned around and looked at his clock. The bright, cheery numbers showed 3AM. Almost everyone was asleep by now. Except for Logan, who seemed to take a weird delight in wandering around the mansion and catching everyone else out of their rooms. He sighed. He had been online hoping one of his buddies would show up to chat or play a game, but no one had appeared. Since his hand and arm had healed enough for him to type, he had been spending a lot of time online, not that it was unusual even before the kidnapping. Online, no one cared that he was a mutant, or what he looked like. He was accepted just as he was. He looked in his mirror as he passed it on the way to the door. The cuts he had suffered during his kidnapping had healed, but he still bore the scars as testament to his suffering. A patch, making him look slightly like a pirate, covered his missing left eye. He sighed, wondering if any girl would ever look at him for something other than relationship advice.

He limped slowly into the kitchen, not surprised when he saw his cousin at the table drinking a beer and staring morosely out the window. "Logan's gona have a fit when he finds out y' stole his beer again."

Remy turned and smirked at his younger cousin. "What he don' know, won't hurt me. 'Sides, who's here gona tell 'im?"

Etienne smirked back, lowering his shields just enough to determine that the person coming down the hallway was Logan. "He's gona be here in bout one minute so y' better do something wi' de evidence. He almost laughed out loud at the expression on Gambit's face as he attempted to finish the rest of the bottle while jumping for the trashcan at the same time. Somehow his cousin made it back in his seat just as Logan walked into the room.

"So what are you two doing here?" Logan sniffed the air and stared at a innocent looking Gambit suspiciously. "It's 3AM."

Etienne thought fast and answered before his cousin could open his mouth. "We were talking about girls."

Logan walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer before sitting in a seat across from Remy. "Good luck. I'm older than both of you put together and I still don't have them figured out."

Etienne moved over and got himself the glass of water that he had originally come to the kitchen for. He sighed. "I'm going t' scream if one more fille tells me all 'bout her relationship problems." He joined the other two at the table. "Not that I mind spending time w'a belle fille, but de older ones all taken."

His cousin smirked. "So is dat de real reason y' cryin w' Kitty de other day?"

At that point even Logan was laughing, so Etienne just rolled his eyes. "Y' try being stuck inside w' out even being able t' go t'town for five months an' see how y' like it." Both Gambit and Logan instantly sobered, knowing exactly what Etienne meant. When he had been abducted, the torturing had made his mutant gift mature and develop, leaving him with such powerful empathy that anyone coming within range literally felt the pain and emotions he was feeling. His control over his mental shields was still to weak to allow him to be among large groups of people without the presence of Jean or Professor Xavier to shield him.

Logan cleared his throat and took another swig of his beer. "I hear we're getting a new student in a couple of days."

Both boys looked at him. "A femme o' a homme?"

Logan took another sip of the beer. "A girl if that's what you're asking. She's a patient of a friend of McCoy's and the Professor agreed for her to come here."

Etienne studied Logan while finishing up his water. "What's wrong with her?"

Logan shrugged and threw his now empty bottle in the trash. "Don't know. You'll have to be like everyone else and find out when she gets here." He walked to the door and then stopped, turning around to stare at the two still at the table. "Oh, and Gumbo, next time I catch you drinking my beer, your going to have Danger Room sessions with me at 5AM for a week." The look on Gambit's face was priceless, but it was the sound of Etienne's laughter that followed Wolverine down the hallway.