Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zip. Blaze owns me.

Scene 02

Beast was laid flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't particularly interesting view, but it was the one in front of him. He was in the Institute's new gym, recently installed after the mansion had been yet again rebuilt following the fight with the Teen Titans against Slade and his new Sentinel robots. The gym was supposed to be giving the hyperactive teenagers and young adults that called the mansion home another way to burn off steam. The truth of it was that for they were using it for the most part as another way of bunking off.

Readjusting his grip on the handle of the weightlifting machine, Hank grunted and pulled the handle down to his furry chest. Correspondingly the weight behind his head lifted up smoothly via the pulley system. He was perspiring a little, but that was to be expected. Gently he let the weights slip down again, feeling his biceps and triceps lengthen as he did so. Just a few more repetitions, then he'd call it a day.

Bobby Drake walked past, whistling innocently. That should have been warning enough for the seasoned educator. Hank however had been away chasing Mystique, who comparatively was a piece of cake, and was off the boil. When he tugged down on the handle again, he couldn't understand why the weights didn't shift. He pulled harder, straining and sweating and muttering under his breath. Still it did not budge. Only when Magma strolled passed after Bobby did the pulley system suddenly release. The weights flew upwards, clanging against the top of the machine as Beast got tangled in the handle and chain. Damn kids had frozen the mechanism, and then melted the ice just when he wasn't ready for it!

Across the room on the exercise bikes, Kitty Pryde put a hand to her lips and giggled at Beast's exploits. On a bike between Rogue and Tabitha, all three were abruptly confronted with a Jamie each. Multiple grinned and said something. All three girls removed an earphone and asked "What?" at the same time. "I said," Jamie repeated. "How come when this room has a built in sound system, you three all have MP3 players on instead?"

"We, like totally couldn't agree what to play," explained Kitty.

"Yeah," Tabitha agreed. "No way I'm listening to Rogue's taste in music. My eardrums would explode!"

"Ya can't talk," Rogue argued. "I know what you're listening to Tabby…"

"Like I said," Kitty glowered at her friends. "We just couldn't agree."

"Whatcha readin' Gambit?" Cannonball enquired of the Cajun, who was jogging on a running machine with a magazine open on the console in front of him. Because of the height of the machine off the floor, Cannonball was straining on his tiptoes to try and see whilst trying to retain his cool exterior. Gambit looked at the teenager long and hard, then single-handedly blew away his attempt to be grown-up. "Maybe when you're older, Ami."

"I don't really think that is suitable material to be keeping in this Institute, Gambit," Storm lectured as she gracefully strolled into the gym. Beast sat up and stretched lethargically. Was it that time already?

"Tell dat to Logan, Cherie," Remy dismissed her concerns, bringing the running machine to a slow stop. "It from his…extensive collection."

"Its funny you should mention Wolverine," Storm countered. "The Professor feels Logan has been gone too long. He would like you to go after him and make sure he is all right. If possible, you're to bring him back to Bayville."

"The Prof's back two minutes an' he t'inks Logan bin gone too long?" Remy wondered out loud. Storm didn't react, but it had been what she herself had been thinking. Gambit exhaled exasperatedly at his new assignment, jumping off the machine. He rolled up his magazine and stuffed it in the back pocket of his tracksuit. Before leaving, he went round to the front of the treadmills and put his elbows on the console of the machine next to his.

The redheaded young woman he looked up at stoically ignored him, keeping her eyes focused on the far wall of the gym. In her late teens, curvaceous and slender, she wore her long red curls tied back whilst she jogged. A few stray strands had worked their way free to alluringly coil against her pale skin whilst she ran. She had a button nose, a rosebud pout, high cheekbones and a wicked sparkle in her big brown eyes. This was Blaze, Xavier's British recruit, a pyrokenetic thief and general wild child whose flirtatious friendship with Remy was becoming a local legend.

"Hey Cherie," Gambit called up to her as she jogged. "This makes a change, non? Me lookin' up at you."

"Pardon?" the pintsized thief tugged her earphones out so she could hear her friend, frowning a little.

"I gotta go round me up a Wolverine, you wanna come along Petite?" Gambit asked hopefully. Blaze glanced over to Storm, and saw Ororo make a small shake of her head. Blaze and Gambit had been in the Institute bad books after the run-in with Slade and the Teen Titans. Whilst not technically grounded, an utterly useless exercise given who they were, the two of them were certainly not supposed to be having fun.

"Best not," Blaze replied, putting her feet on the stationary platforms to either side of the moving treadmill. "Mama Bear looks angry," she nodded in Storm's direction. Before Gambit could object to Storm, causing an argument, Blaze changed the subject, "Do you think you'll be gone long?"

"You gonna miss me?" Gambit sounded pleasantly surprised, grinning cheekily. Blaze rolled her eyes and refused to answer, so Remy continued. "I try an' be back for Halloween Cherie, if you gonna have a treat for ole Gambit?"

"Actually," Blaze dropped her elbows to lean on the console, making Gambit take a little step backwards. Blaze's tone was dead serious, but she was smiling prettily as she spoke. "I was going to egg your bedroom window and let the air out of your bike tyres, but if you're not back then I'll have to find another victim." Gambit chuckled, shaking his head. He went to leave; grabbing a towel from by the door and rubbing his face down with it, before looping it round his neck. Blaze's eyes followed him across the room, blatantly checking him out. Some of the other X-girls were thoroughly unimpressed.

"Sheesh Blaze," moaned Rogue melodramatically. "Stop droolin' will ya, you're makin' a puddle." Blaze instantly looked away as Gambit glanced back to see what Rogue thought Blaze was drooling at. Try as she did to act cool by putting her earphones back in and starting running again, she couldn't help but blush a little under Gambit's quizzical gaze. After Blaze refused to make eye contact, the Cajun shrugged and left the room, leaving Kitty to exclaim. "Honestly, it's like Scott and Jean never packed up and left for college. I totally thought if we lived through that once we'd never, like, have to suffer it again."

"Lighten up guys," Tabitha interrupted, noticing how tense the set of Blaze's shoulders had suddenly become now Gambit had gone.

"Indeed," Storm agreed. "Besides, now that you've all warmed up, I think it would be a good time for a Danger Room session. Go change into your uniforms and meet me down there in five minutes."

"Oh Storm," Kitty whined as the girls dismounted the exercise bikes. "You could, like totally give us a change to get our breath back first you know." Storm declined to answer, instead turning to Blaze and asking, "Will you be joining us?"

"Not this time," Blaze shook her head, slowing the running machine to a leisurely stop. "Think I might go for a walk."

"Suit yourself," Storm decreed, leaving the gym followed by all of the kids except Tabby. Boom Boom hung back as Beast pointed out the obvious to Blaze," You do realise it's pouring with rain outside, don't you?"

"I'm not blind Hank," Blaze replied, wiping her face on a towel and taking a sip of water from a bottle. The redhead had to walk past Tabby to leave, and Boom Boom was disheartened to see how down and dejected Blaze looked. When Gambit was here, it was often the two thieves against the world. Now he was gone, Blaze was dreading facing the disapproving judgement of the X-Men on her own. Tabby couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She met Beast's eyes with a pleading expression, making Hank smile, "I think someone could use some easy-going companionship. You go Tabitha, I will pass on your apologies to Storm."

"Thanks Beast, you're all right," Tabby grinned, before turning and heading out the door after the redhead calling, "Hey Firefly, hold up!" Hmm, thought Hank to himself as he made a quick pass at tidying the gym after the various workouts. These past few weeks have been extraordinarily harsh on everyone concerned. I haven't seen this many glum faces in a long time. Perhaps Halloween presents the opportune moment to formulate a distraction, but what kind of distraction? What would the team, no matter their age, appreciate more than anything else?

For a few moments, nothing sprung to mind in Hank's furry blue head, despite its sizable brainpower. Then as he put the last few empty plastic bottles in the recycling and gathered up a heap of smelly used towels, it struck him. It hit him so hard in fact he almost dropped the towels. It would have to be a party of course. Not just any party either, a Hankenstein's Fancy Dress Halloween Monster Ball! Hank dumped the towels in the laundry chute and ran to seek Charles' permission, completely forgetting he was supposed to be telling Storm about Tabby's permission to skip the training session.