I apologize for the rushed-ness of the last chapter and the virtual irrelevence of this chapter but I have to lead up to the whole issue. And we will be seeing Scott again, people, I apologize. It'll be fun though, you'll see!

Chapter 2

Logan was going to kill her, she was well aware of that, but she hadn't wanted to say anything and she hadn't gotten a chance to say anything to him before she was needed on the jet that would take them to New Orleans, the last known address for the professor's contact.

"Logan was in a fantastic mood today," Rogue said, sitting in the leather seat of Xavier's private jet.

"Really?" Jean played dumb.

"Ah figured you might know why."

Jean kept her gaze on the book in her lap. "I make a mental note not to read his mind."

"Ah guessed you might be the cause."

"Me?"

"Dr Grey—"

"Jean," the redhead corrected absently. Rogue, having finished her schooling the previous June and now a graduate of the Institute, no longer had to be formal with the senior members of the team. It had been a chore to break her of the habit.

"Jean," Rogue amended. "Yah don't have ta play dumb. The only reason Logan's eva happy these days is because of somethin' ta do with you."

Jean narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "He talks about me?"

"Only ta me and only in private," Rogue promised.

Jean relaxed in relief. "But what happens when you assume?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, but now you're avoidin' mah question."

"And now you're prying," Jean replied gently, looking out into the sky.

"Ah'm just curious," Rogue protested innocently.

"And curiosity killed the cat," Jean pointed out. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"We're almost there," Jean said, looking over the landscape below. As if cued the landing gear started to descend. They were arriving in New Orleans.

The day passed quietly, mainly because Jean had been feeling exhausted from the plane ride and her pregnancy and had dropped off to sleep the minute they entered their hotel suite. Rogue agreed on the nap, taking the time to review the mission objectives.

Or she tried.

There were pieces of a really big puzzle missing and it was starting to bug her. It wasn't just that Logan was in a much happier mood but Jean was usually extremely efficient and usually would have wanted to start in on the mission ASAP. Instead, the redhead had opted for a nap, an irregularity for the always active doctor.

Rogue. The teenager jumped at the mental voice.

Please wake Jean for me. I need to have a word with her.

Rogue shook Jean slightly to wake her and Jean's eyes blinked open.

"The professor wants to talk with you."

"Thanks," Jean mumbled and Rogue left her alone.

Professor?

Logan is throwing a fit, Jean. Something in Xavier's voice shadowed disappointment in her, but she ignored it for the time being.

Why?

Jean…

I couldn't find him, Jean replied petulantly, acting childish.

You didn't want to find him, Xavier corrected. What is going on?

Logan would have been upset if I told him.

That doesn't answer my question.

He's being overprotective.

With good reason?

It's Logan.

Jean…

I'll call right now and talk to him, she compromised.

I would like to know what is going on for the future…

And you will, just not now. Abruptly, she cut the telepathic link and reached for the phone.

"Damnit Jean," Logan exclaimed when he came on the line. "What were you thinking?"

"That I could take care of myself," she shot back. "It's not like I'm here on my own either."

"You're pregnant!"

"Not incompetent. Look this is a simple find and talk to mission, noting more, nothing less," she tried to placate him.

"And when things turn violent?" he almost growled.

"Rogue is here and I have my mutation. You really need to stop worrying," she said, trying to reason with him instead.

"Jeannie…"

Jean smiled, knowing the use of her nickname meant she was wearing him down. "I'll call," she cajoled, "and we can set up a doctor's appointment when I get back."

"I still don't like this," he finally relented.

"And you'll never like it until I decide to stay at home instead of going out on missions," she quipped back. "I love you."

"Love you too, Red. Don't forget to call."

"I promise."

Rogue was bouncing her food, sitting on the couch when Jean emerged from the bedroom, ready to head out and track down Xavier's contact.

"Everything okay?" Rogue asked.

"I didn't tell Logan I was leaving and he flipped his lid," Jean responded vaguely.

"Gosh, he's really startin' tah be a tad annoyin'." If there was one thing Rogue knew about Jean it was her love of her independence.

"Just protective," Jean defended habitually.

"Jean, you'd tell me if there was somethin' I needed ta know for this mission, right? Like if you were sick?"

"Of course! Anything that would make me a liability you'd know about," the redhead promised, moving about. "Shall we go?"

They both moved stealthily through the New Orleans streets knowing that the seedier side was not a good place for either of them to be found. They kept close to the shadows, following the directions Xavier had provided them with.

"This is it," Jean breathed finally to her companion. "We're here."

The building look a little worse for wear, the side door they were looking at rusty and old. The alley was dark, the perfect hide away for lowlifes.

"Are you sure?" Rogue whispered, doubt heavy in her voice

"I wasn't away Charles had friends like this either," Jean assured the younger woman.

"And the professor said he'd be expectin' us?" The apprehension was rolling off of Rogue in tidal waves, almost threatening to overwhelm Jean.

"Checked again a few minutes ago. This contact knows we're supposed to be here," Jean said. Rogue took a deep breath, preparing herself for the next part of the plan.

The part that required her to separate from Jean and go alone.

Remy LeBeau sat at the small bar, staring disinterested at the wood in front of him. He'd decided against straying too far tonight, even before he'd been contacted by Charles Xavier. Now, there was a name he hadn't heard of or thought of in a while. The fact that old Chucky had made contact with him, explaining two of his own were coming to see Remy at the request of the old man, reeked of terror and concern for the future of his school.

"We expected ta be waitin' for yah." Remy spun quickly on his stool to face the stranger and came face to face with the most beautiful woman he could remember seeing… and he'd seen a few in his time. The woman took a seat beside him, her gaze not leaving his face. Her hair was pulled back with the exception of two white stripes that framed her face.

"We?" Remy inquired, feigning disinterest. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Look, Ah don't have time or patience ta play games wit yah, sugah. Cut the crap and let's get down to busieness." Remy was taken aback by the bluntness of her comment. Usually, women catered to him, but this one was different.

"Business, chere? You don't take your time do you?" Before the other woman could reply, Remy was treated to the sight of flaming red hair and porcelain white skin.

"Ah, so this is the 'we'," he leered.

Mr LeBeau, I might suggest you tone down your innuendoes. I'm not sure Professor Xavier would take it too well, he heard an amused voice in his head. Immediately, his eyes shot to the redhead, slightly startled. The redhead only continued to smile in amusement.

You're not the only one who's special Mr Lebeau. Shall we take a walk? Remy considered what it was going to look like for him to leave with the two women standing in front of him and stood.

"T'anks ami," he called to the bartended and he followed both women out to the alley. Jean led the way out of the alley and around her own bends, seemingly knowing where she was going.

"Chere, I didn't t'ink we 'ad far ta go," Remy spoke up finally when they were in the middle of a dark park.

The redhead stopped. "We needed privacy," she explained simply, then faced him and held out a slender hand. "Jean Grey."

"Pleasure, chere," Remy responded, taking the hand and pulling it to his mouth. Jean's face didn't falter, but the other woman snorted in amusement.

"Et tu?" Remy inquired.

"Rogue," she responded tartly. "'N if yah not careful Wolverine might be on your skinny ass." Jean rolled her eyes.

"Mr LeBeau," she began, all serious. "I'm pretty sure you know why we're here."

"Mr Xavier and I had a short conversation," Remy agreed.

"He would appreciate it if you would come to New York."

"Oui chere, he did mention dat."

"And?" Remy's gaze darted to an impatient Rogue.

"I told him I'd have to t'ink about it," Remy responded with a nonchalant shrug.

"We don't have time for ya ta think about it swamp rat," Rogue spat.

"Chere if I didn't know better I'd t'ink you didn't like me," Remy said, pretending to be offended. Jean's hand came to rest on Rogue's shoulder.

"Mr LeBeau, Charles wants your help with the increasing mutant attacks, and we were hoping you would come back to the Institute with us," Jean said calmly.

"Chere, Remy is…"

"Look, swamp rat, Ah don't like yah, but Xavier wants yah help and the least yah could do is try it out," Rogue snapped.

"I don't t'ink dats a good way to treat un ami," Remy scolded calmly.

"Yah not a friend ah mine," Rogue murmured.

"Mr LeBeau—" Jean tried again.

"Remy," he corrected.

"Remy," she amended sweetly. "We were asked to convince you to accompany us back to New York and give our side a chance. We really don't want to stay here long."

"De two of you live with de famous professor, no?"

"Yes," Jean answered, flashing Remy her cutest grin.

"Every homme needs his motivation, no? If ladies like yourself are living with Mr Xavier den I really have no choice."

Jean couldn't stop the grin that passed over her face. "Thank you Mr LeBeau.

"Remy," he corrected again, leering at her.

"I'll let the pilot know he's taking three back," Jean said excitedly.

"Right now chere?" Remy asked, surprised.

"No," Jean decided. "Tomorrow morning."

"Does she always take control like this?" Remy asked Rogue conspiratorially with a wink.

"Are you always this much of an asshole?" Rogue asked in reply. Remy only chuckled.

"Dis will be fun," Remy said.

Rogue was frazzled as she stepped off the plane back in New York. She'd spent the trip dealing with Remy's innuendoes while Jean slept. Rogue vaguely wondered why Jean needed so much sleep, but wasn't about to guess the reason. However, she was still frustrated from dealing with the constant leering from the Cajun.

Rogue watched as Logan all but attacked Jean as she stepped off the plane. He seemed to be checking her over to make sure she was in one piece. His hands stopped, she noticed, on her stomach and Rogue, in her curiosity, couldn't stop her mind from wondering why.

"Chere, it's not nice to stare." She was going to slaughter the damn man…

"Logan! We're fine," she heard Jean exclaim. Then it all made sense.

Jean's pregnant! Said redhead met her eyes and smiled shyly.

We haven't told anyone, including the professor, Rogue heard Jean's voice in her head. Rogue nodded in understanding. The secret was safe with her.

"Professor?" Jean called, knocking on the office door.

"Yes Jean?"

"Can we have a word?" she asked, poking her head in.

"Of course," Xavier agreed simply, waving her in. Logan followed, taking a seat across about the pregnancy, especially since she'd gone to New Orleans.

"Chuck, we've got somethin' we wanna tell you," Logan spoke up.

"I'm pregnant," Jean followed swiftly. "But that's just a formality, isn't it?"

The professor smiled. "I guess it was."

"You knew?" Logan asked. "Then why send her to New Orleans?"

"The danger involved was minimal and I know how stubborn Jean can be," Xavier explained with a smile in Jean's direction. She'd always held a special place in his heart.

"I am not," Jean protested superficially, knowing it was true.

"What does this mean for her missions?" Logan inquired, knowing the only person who would be able to make Jean listen was Xavier.

"I believe it would be in all of our best interest to allow Jean to make her own decisions, don't you agree?"

"With all due respect, professor, isn't that dangerous for the baby?"

Logan, I believe you are being overprotective," Xavier defended. Logan looked torn between screaming at Xavier and allowing Jean to make her decisions.

"Ororo and I discussed it, Logan. We're going to make a decision later on. You do trust me, don't you?" Jean pleaded.

"Jean…" Logan protested as Xavier looked on.

"If anything changes with the pregnancy, I will reconsider," Jean decided. Really, Logan didn't have an argument back, and stayed silent.

"Jean, Logan, there are things I must attend to," the professor spoke up. Jean and Logan exchanged a look and left, Xavier could hear the argument going down hall.