Disclaimer: Same story, different chapter, except now I can tell you that Angela, Buzz, Totem, Chasca AND Sam all belong to me...please do not use them in any way, shape or form without my permission or i'll sic Angela on you while you sleep...

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Interlude: The Pacific Northwest Part II

Storm and Angela waited patiently in the study while Sam prepared refreshments for the three of them. He entered carefully, carrying a tray with both coffee and tea, as well as an assortment of pastries and other snacks. The extreme care with which he handled the delicate china cups were in direct contrast to the rest of the man, which brought to mind visions of Greek statues and bodybuilders. Angela noted to herself absently that she would have probably tried to pick him up, had he walked into her bar back in Detroit. He really was that attractive.

"Here you go, ladies." Sam said, handing out cups. "Coffee for you, Angela. Cream and sugar are here, if you want them. Ororo, I believe you had a fondness for raspberry tea."

"You remember that?" She gasped, then laughed at herself. "Oh, how could I forget? I'm sorry."

"Forget what?" Angela asked, adding a mere teaspoon of sugar to her coffee.

"I have an eidetic memory." He replied, picking up his own tea. "Once I see or hear something, I never forget it. Made passing all my classes a breeze. They had to seat me far away from everyone to prevent cheating during tests."

The three laugh a bit at that, then settle in for the business at hand. Setting her cup down, Storm cleared her throat and looked at Sam. "I hate to bust in on you like this, but I have a favor to ask you."

"Ororo, I left the X-Men for a reason. I wasn't cut out for that kind of life."

She raised her hand to stop him. "Please, hear me out. I'm not asking you to rejoin the team. But I do need you at the school." With that, she launched into an overview of the past year, starting with Liberty Island and ending with the meeting that brought them to Washington State. Sam took it all in calmly, asking for clarification on certain points, but mostly just listening.

When she finished, he carefully set his cup down on the tray, leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. "Why do you need me to come back to the school? Can't you send Scott on sabbatical, have him come out here?"

"I wish we could, Sam. But we can't afford to lose another teacher this far into the term. As it stands, we're still short on staff but we're making it work." She leaned forward and placed her slender hand over his. "I know I'm asking a great deal of you here, but Scott needs a friend he can trust completely right now. He won't come to me or Charles, but he would go to you I just know it."

Sam closed his eyes, deep in thought for a moment before turning his gaze to Angela. "So, my dear, how do you figure into all of this?"

She shifted slightly in her chair, clearly uneasy with the situation. "Well, it's complicated really. What it boils down to is me being tired of trying to explain things to him that I really don't know anything about. I never knew Jean, I just know what she meant to the people around me. I have no idea why she chose to do what she did. If she was that powerful, she should have been able to do the same thing on board the jet."

"But surely Ororo here could help…"

Angela cut him off. "Yeah, I understand that Jean and Storm were best friends. But from what she told me on the way out here, you, Scott and Jean were pretty much inseparable during your school days. Maybe you have a perspective that she can't give him."

Sam sighed, knowing when he was defeated. "Well ladies, I can't leave tonight. I have a piece in the annealing oven and it won't be ready for several hours. Might I suggest you stay over for the night?"

"Sure Sam that would be fine." Storm replied, smiling.

"Excellent!" He turned back to Angela. "And I'm certain that your story will make for fascinating conversation to pass the evening."

The three passed an enjoyable evening together, dining on a fine Beef Wellington served with red wine and a chocolate-raspberry torte for dessert. Storm and Sam listened with rapt attention as Angela regaled them with stories from her long and interesting life, starting with a near miss in New York during Prohibition to some of the more gruesome aspects of her life at Alkali Lake. Sam's face didn't show anything, but inwardly he was beginning to feel a twinge of guilt for his self-imposed exile from the world. He'd always thought he was more of a hindrance to the cause, since his control over his mutation was hard for him to give up. But he'd never imagined that things had gotten to the point where mutants were being used as lab rats for the twisted purposes of madmen.

After dinner, Ororo excused herself, pleading exhaustion and retiring to the guest room that Sam had prepared for his visitors. After helping him to clean up the dinner dishes, Angela mentioned the excellent collection of whiskies that she'd seen in the study and the two of them opened a bottle and continued their conversation. Several hours and several bottles later, Sam had made up his mind.

The next morning, he made arrangements with a friend in the nearest town to collect his mail and keep his house in order for at least the next few weeks. He would call as soon as he knew when he'd be returning, but part of him wondered if he'd ever see his cabin in the woods again. There was more to this situation than met the eye, that was for certain. Finally, after retrieving his latest glasswork from the annealing oven and shutting it down, he locked up his workshop and they boarded the jet late in the afternoon. A few hours later, they arrived at the mansion and Sam felt an unexpected twinge of nostalgia. Sometimes, it's good to come home.

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Chapter 14.

(Angela)

As soon as the ramp hit the deck, I was out of the plane and running into Logan's arms. He held me close and I just enjoyed the solid feeling of his body next to mine. I know I wanted to drag him off and have my wicked way with him, but introductions needed to be made and I was starving after the long day we'd had.

Sam and Storm came off the jet together, laughing. I could see there was an easiness between the two of them that she didn't share with anyone else that I'd seen. I smiled to myself and wondered how long it would be before the wooing began. I pulled away from Logan long enough to give him a brief kiss before turning to the others. "Sam, I want you to meet Logan." Sam held out a hand and Logan gave a brief scowl before shaking it. "Logan, this is Sam Levison, a.k.a. Atlas."

"Atlas huh?" He asked, eyeing Sam. "So I guess that means you've got the super strength thing like Colossus?"

"Among other things, yes." Sam replied but didn't offer any more info. I found that odd, really. Most mutants aren't afraid to discuss their powers with other mutants, but Sam was strangely closemouthed about the whole thing. It made me wonder if he was ashamed of something and just didn't want to talk about it. I resolved to draw the whole story out of him sooner or later.

I just smiled for the moment. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm famished!" I wrapped my arm around Logan's waist. "Would you like to take a girl to dinner?" I whispered.

"Mmm, if I have to." He replied, slinging his arm around my shoulders and lightly running his thumb down my neck, causing me to shiver. "But let's not stay too long, ok?"

"You got it, lover." I smiled and waved at Sam and Storm, who were still doing post-flight routines with the jet. We made our way to the dining room and a table of the older girls (and a couple boys) broke into helpless giggles when we entered. Logan scowled at them hard, especially Jubilee and I was instantly curious. We went up to the staff table and I leaned over to give Charles a quick kiss on the cheek before taking my seat. Kurt waved at me and Buzz just nodded in greeting. It was good to be home.

After dishing up chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans and grabbing a glass of soda, I turned to Logan. "So, what's up with your fan club over there?" I asked before digging in.

He groaned and scowled at the table again, which only made them giggle harder. "Don't ask."

I heard Kurt give a brief snort of laughter on my other side and turned to him. "Is there something I should know?"

Logan glared at him over my head, but it didn't stop him from recounting the tale of the previous two days. By the end of it, I was howling with laughter and Logan looked fit to kill me. I squeezed his leg under the table. "Oh, calm down lover. I think it's cute."

"I am not cute." He growled, stabbing at his chicken like it mortally offended him. "And they're not cute, either."

"Bah, they're kids. They'll grow out of it." It didn't placate him at all and he spent the rest of the meal alternately scowling at the table and muttering curses under his breath. Deep down, I had to agree with Jubilee. My man really is Wolvelicious. It was the perfect way to describe him, as far as I was concerned.

Charles wanted to meet with me, Storm and Sam in his office, but I begged off pleading exhaustion from having to deal with flying while sober, a tiring experience indeed. He simply chuckled, saying he understood, but the twinkle in his eye betrayed him. As Logan and I left the dining room, he sent me a telepathic message reminding me to not think so loudly. I'm sure I blushed roughly the same color as the streaks in my hair and made a very hasty retreat.

We didn't precisely run to our room, but I would have felt very sorry for anyone who might have gotten in our way. The door was barely closed and locked behind us before our clothes were flying and we said hello to one another in a proper fashion. Hours later, as I lay there cradled in his arms, my head on his shoulder, I once again thought how good it was to be home.

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Storm, Sam and I met with Charles over breakfast the next day. The Professor was genuinely happy to see Sam again and I could tell the feeling was mutual. Somehow, they had kept his return to the mansion a secret from Scott, no mean feat in a house full of teenagers. Storm was inclined to give Scott a variation of the truth to Sam's return, but I was vehemently against it. I thought he deserved the complete truth. He had a problem and Sam might be the only solution. After a bit of debate, it was finally agreed that I was right, as usual. I don't know why they even bother to argue with me. I'm always right. Maybe it's another mutation.

At any rate, Charles called Scott down to the office, which was my cue to leave. It was Saturday, so I didn't have any regular classes, just a Danger Room session with Beta team. Buzz had programmed yet another brilliant scenario involving a combination of mutants, military personnel and civilians. Beta tore through it like old pros and my pride in how far they'd come was impossible to contain. At the rate they were progressing, we'd be able to lift our restrictions on their involvement with the team as a whole and the Alpha team would more than double in size.

I also had another session with a group of the younger teens, namely Jesse Aaronson, Julian Keller, Jamie Madrox and Davey Bowman. Jesse (who already had the code name "Bedlam") had gone with me on the mission to retrieve Logan and now all he wanted was to be an X-Man. I'm pretty sure Scott is still pissed off that I took him with me that night, since he was only fifteen at the time, but he'd since had a birthday and I saw no reason not to include him on the new Delta team. It was my ultimate goal to have four complete teams of X-Men at all times, each with their own individual leader for smaller missions, but able to work with any or all of the other teams in part or in whole. In the event that all teams would be together, Scott would act as overall commander, but to make sure the team leaders had enough authority to act on a moment's notice if need be. Of course, looking to the distant future, I wanted there to be as many X-Men as I could get out of this school. I wanted to build an army.

But that was in the future. Right now, I had my hands full with the four boys in front of me. Once I'd gotten it through Julian's head that he would never be an X-Man at the rate he was going (by methodically beating him over the head with a clue by four), he turned himself around and once again found himself at the top of the class. It turns out that his previous slacking had been caused by his belief that he was the teacher's (my) pet and that I'd let him get away with anything. Many bruises later, he learned that I don't play that game. This was the first time they were being put through an X-Man training scenario and they were a little rowdy. It was also the first time they were in X-Men uniforms for a Danger Room session, so they were preening and strutting about, like peacocks. At least they had the sense to calm down once I walked in.

"Hey Miss Rex." Jamie greeted me with a smile. "How do we look?"

"Like a bunch of kids playing dress up." I replied dryly and their faces fell. "It's true. Those uniforms are something you have to earn. You only get to wear them in here because you need to get used to them. And you won't earn them until Logan and I say you have."

"But Angela, I've already been on one mission!" Jesse complained loudly. "So why are you making me start all over?"

"Because the Professor makes the rules around here." I said evenly. "And he says that no one can be a part of any of the teams until they're at least seventeen. You have a little under a year until that happens." I folded my arms over my chest and paced in front of them. "But keep in mind those rules are only for field missions. If you do well over the next couple of months, you'll be assigned to the mansion as its first line of defense in case of another attack."

"What are the chances of that happening?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point. I'm sure everyone here would feel much better knowing there are well-trained people looking over them even if there's never another attack. But I get paid to plan for the worst." With that, I went over to the console near the door and entered the commands to pull up the mansion invasion scenario, which has become my stock scenario for the early training of the teams. It gives the kids the advantage of a battleground they know well, but that's really the only one. The scenario is programmed with the same number of soldiers, the same number and variety of students, so the team has to make sure all the students get to safety while disabling the soldiers as efficiently as possible. I waved the kids over to stand next to me and I started the program.

I was there purely in an observatory capacity. I'd told the scenario to ignore my presence so none of the virtual opponents would engage me. I needed to evaluate the boys and I felt better doing it down here instead of up in the observation booth. Logan was up there, monitoring everything and making sure that each boy was being recorded individually. We wanted to be able to go back over all the logs and see where each of them needed more work. As soon as we could identify their weaknesses, we'd be able to individualize their training and get them ready much faster.

Bedlam did the best out the bunch, but he was also the only one with any combat experience. He knew exactly how to use his power to disrupt the nervous systems of the assailants, leaving them twitching on the floor and subduing them with well-placed kicks to the face once they were down. I was just thankful that Buzz had figured out a way to insulate the Danger Room so he didn't short it out every time we had a training session in there. It made things much easier for all of us.

Julian (who chose the code name "Hellion") also did very well. Using his telekinesis, he threw soldiers into walls or each other, knocking them out. On one occasion, he threw the pool table at a group of them and on another occasion he trapped them behind a telekinetic shield and Bedlam did the rest. The shields also came in handy to protect small groups of "students", helping them get to the escape tunnels. It blocked the stun dart ok, but bullets still managed to get through. Thankfully they all missed him, but it was something he would need to try and improve.

Jamie (who went by "Multiple Man") was a joy to watch. We are still not sure if he has a maximum number of copies he can create, so he could literally become a one-man army. Since all of his copies knew the same things he did (or could learn things and bring the knowledge back to him when they were reabsorbed), the possibilities for him were endless. I was confident that he'd make a very valuable addition to the team as soon as he was old enough.

Davey (who was now calling himself "Inferno") could have done better. Unlike Pyro before him, he could create the fire as well as control it. His control was perfect yet, but he was capable of much finer control than Pyro ever had been (according to Storm and Scott). So his trick was to make the ammo in their guns explode, causing much damage to the person holding the weapon. So, what he lacked in huge pyrotechnics, he made up for in quality of work. Still, he needed to learn to control the fire on a larger scale.

At the end of the scenario, they'd managed to subdue more than ninety percent of the assailants and only three students had been stunned. However, due to their quick assistance, every student made it out of the mansion. It was the first time anyone had done so well their first time in. As the walls faded back to polished steel, the boys collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathing heavily. Jamie had gotten a black eye from an elbow to the face and Bedlam had taken a pretty good hit to the back of his head but seemed fine otherwise. I ordered the two of them to the infirmary and the others to the showers. Logan came down to join me after they left.

"The kids did damn good, darlin'." He said, wrapping his arms around me. "You should be proud."

"You mean we should be proud." I countered, hugging him back. "You're their teacher to, you know."

"Yeah, but you're the one who whipped them into shape. I wasn't sure about lettin' you take on the class like you did, but it looks like gettin' beat up by a girl worked."

"They're boys, of course it worked! I mean, how much more humiliating could that be? Even knowing I'm assassin trained, their eyes still see a tiny woman who couldn't possibly take them out. It's the one thing that humans and mutants definitely have in common, letting their eyes fool them."

"Don't remind me." He replied and I knew he was thinking of not only the conversations between Scott and I that he'd misinterpreted, but also the incident with Mystique in a tent just before Jean's death. "You'd think we'd learn sooner or later."

"Yeah well, you have a thicker than normal skull and that's without the adamantium."

He growled playfully. "I keep tellin' you, you're not funny."

"Yes I am." It was an exchange we had often and we never seemed to tire of it. "You just don't appreciate my brand of humor."

"Gimme the Stooges any day, darlin'. At least they don't make jokes at my expense."

"It's not my fault you make it so damn easy." He growled again and I just gave him my most dazzling smile. He glared at me for a second, but softened enough to kiss my cheek. I leaned into him and sighed. "Much as I hate to cut this short, we still have work to do."

"Yeah I know. There's times I wonder why I let Chuck talk me into teachin' here. It's like work or somethin'."

I laughed and gave him a squeeze. "Or something. Come on, let's look over those tapes and see what these boys need to work on."

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A few hours later, I ran into Scott and Sam out on the patio. They were sitting at a small table with glasses of iced tea, reminiscing about their days together at the school. I had just come out for a smoke when I caught their laughter and I walked over to them.

Scott had his back to me, but Sam saw me approaching and smiled in greeting. "Angela! Why don't you join us?" He asked, standing up and pulling out a chair for me.

"Don't mind if I do." I replied, taking my seat. I lit my cigarette and Scott scowled at me. "Sorry Scott, but if I don't do this, I'll have to kill someone."

His scowl deepened. "I hope you don't mean that literally."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not, silly. But it's the only vice I have left that I can do in public. Around here, at least." He blushed and looked away, mumbling under his breath about incorrigible feral mutants and I giggled.

"So, Angela. Scott tells me you teach tactics and strategy here?" Sam asked, sipping his tea.

"Yep, along with defensive and offensive fighting techniques. Logan teaches too."

"Ah yes, your old partner. I'm quite anxious to get to know him, he seems a most interesting fellow."

"To say the least." I replied dryly, taking a drag from my cigarette. "Don't be put off by his surly exterior. He's really a nice guy underneath it all." Scott mumbled under his breath again about chronic assholism being his secondary mutation and I giggled again. "Scott, stop that. You're just jealous because you always have to be the nice guy."

"Me? Jealous of Logan?" His mouth gaped and he looked so comical I giggled yet again. "What could I possibly be jealous of him for?"

"Uhh, cuz he has snappier comebacks than you do?" I ventured with a half-smile.

Sam laughed out loud. "She's got you there, Scott. You never were very clever when it came to verbal sparring."

"Great, first she's got to dig at me and now you? What's next, pouring sugar in my gas tank while over starching my underwear?"

Sam and I sat there with mouths agape before bursting into hysterical laughter. It took several moments to compose ourselves enough to continue the conversation. "What do you mean, 'over starching'?" I asked, still chuckling a little. "Do you starch them to begin with?"

"It would explain quite a few things, actually." Sam added. "He always was a little…stiff in his manner." This set us off into new gales of laughter, which were only exacerbated by the scowls Scott kept shooting at us. We did finally manage to pull ourselves together again, but I had to refrain from looking at either of them for fear of breaking down again. Sam took a long drink from his tea and wiped his eyes with his napkin. "I'm sorry, my friend. But it's been so long since I've been here. You didn't expect me to change that much, did you?"

Scott sighed and chuckled a little, finally. "No, Sam, I didn't." He said, shaking his head a little. "But I didn't expect you to jump back in so soon."

"I didn't realize I'd have anyone to play off of." He raised his glass to me. "But I see that I do."

I inclined my head to him and stubbed my cigarette out on the pavement, field stripping the butt so I could toss it in the trash. "Sam, I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along most famously."

"As do I, my dear." He finished his tea and leaned back in his chair. "But for now, I still have some catching up to do with Scott here."

"Oh, it's fine. I have to work out some lesson plans anyway." I stood up and he stood with me, the consummate gentleman. I smiled at him and went back inside.

Logan was just coming down the stairs as I closed the door behind me. I was still prone to random giggles and he crossed over to me, a curious look on his face. "What's up darlin'? Did I miss somethin'?"

"Did you EVER!" I said and recounted the conversation for him. He stood there for a moment before bursting into laughter of his own, which startled a few kids walking by at that moment. Almost none of them had ever seen him laugh like this before and it was a rare treat for them. Of course, this set me off again as well and it took several minutes for us to compose ourselves. As soon as we had, we went to the lounge to rest.

"I think I'm gonna like this guy. Sounds like someone I could get along with." Logan said, flopping down on the couch.

"Oh yeah, I think that's a foregone conclusion." I replied, sitting next to him and snuggling close. "In fact, he's kind of a beer snob. Might be a worse one than me and that's saying something."

"Really? How much worse?"

"Well, when Storm and I were at his cabin, he showed me his collection. And I do mean 'collection'. Hundreds of individual bottles, most of them European microbrews. Kind of makes me want to open another bar just so I can import them cheaper."

"Hm. Might have to see if he wants to go out for drinks sometime." I just nodded and we sat there for about half an hour before the clock chimed, signaling the dinner hour. We sat there for a few more minutes before making our way to the dining room.

As usual, the kids were all a little rambunctious, especially since Sam was there, another new adult face for them to be curious about. However, Charles wasn't about to let them badger him the way they'd tormented me when I first arrived. As soon as everyone was seated, he cleared his throat and sent a mental "settle down" to everyone. "Students, I would like to introduce you all to Samuel Levison, a former student here. He will be staying with us for a while. Please welcome him and try not to accost him every five minutes." There was a brief smattering of applause, then we all settled in to the meal. Sam sat at the opposite end of the table next to Scott and Storm, which left me and Logan sitting with Kurt. He had recently begun helping some of the kids with controlling their powers and we wanted his input on the four we'd tested earlier that day. He made a few suggestions, but I finally just asked him to assist us directly with the Danger Room sessions, so he could give them immediate assistance if they needed it. Thankfully, he agreed, since it didn't conflict with the foreign language classes he was already teaching.

After dinner, the adults retired to the patio (so Logan and I could smoke) and Sam produced a bottle of the most excellent brandy I'd ever tasted, pouring it into hand-blown snifters I would bet he made himself. We talked about the state of mutant affairs and the steady decline of support for the Mutant Registration Act. As the evening wore on, we slipped into less volatile topics like music and art, which was when I found out that Sam wasn't just a glassblower, but also painted in acrylics and did some sculpting as well. That was also when it dawned on me who he was.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed, interrupting him in the middle of a story about a gallery show he'd done a few months ago. "I know you!"

"Um, yes you do. You picked me up, remember?" He made as though to take my snifter away from me. "Perhaps we should cut you off, my dear. It seems the drink has muddled your head."

I gave him a mock scowl and swiped at his hand. "No, not that! I mean, I know who you are. I used to have some of your pieces."

"What do you mean by 'used to'? Did you sell them?"

"No, I didn't. I had to leave them behind when Logan and I escaped from Detroit." I took another sip of the brandy, savoring the flavor. "Next to my bars and my GTO, they were the hardest things to leave behind."

Logan just looked confused. "Now I know I'm missin' somethin' here. Who is this guy, really?"

"Sweetie, he's a world famous artist. Do you remember my collection of jade Buddhas? He did those."

"Whoa, really?" He looked Sam up and down. "Those were some nice work. It was a shame to leave them back there."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Ricky's taking good care of them." I swirled the last of my brandy in the glass, looking down. "Gods, I miss Detroit." I tossed it back and set my glass down on the tray. "Sorry about that. Just a little homesick, I suppose."

Storm smiled at me. "It's ok, Angela. It happens to all of us, even if this has been our home for more years than we bother to count."

I managed a weak smile in return, then took a deep breath. "I'll be fine. I think I'm gonna call it a night." I took Logan's hand and we bid everyone a good night. We walked casually back to our room, pausing only to check with the security office and make sure the kids were all in their beds. Once in our room, I stripped down to my tank top and panties before snuggling into Logan's arms.

"So, what's that guy's mutation supposed to be anyway?" He asked, stroking my hair.

"Super strong, from what I understand. Enhanced endurance and a heightened metabolism, too." I propped myself up on my elbow. "From what I hear, he can out drink anyone."

"Really? Now I know I'm takin' him out for beers sometime." He rolled over and pulled me close. "But I ain't seen anythin' from him to show he's super strong or nothin' even close to it."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't asked."

"Well, I'll have to see if he'll give me some dance time in the Danger Room." I nodded and he kissed me, starting off gently enough but it increased in magnitude after only a few seconds. His hands felt hot against my skin as he slid them up the back of my tank top, breaking the kiss only long enough to peel it over my head. He leaned back and let his eyes wander over me. "God, you are so beautiful." He said breathlessly. "How did I ever get this lucky?"

"I think it's the other way around, lover. I'm the lucky one." He moved back in to kiss me again, his eyes intense. After a little while, I completely forgot how homesick I was.

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AN: Things are looking a little better, yes? Keep reading and find out!