Notes: This one hasn't been getting much love lately, but I promise I haven't forgotten about it! I just keep getting distracted by other fun things! :D

Chapter 6: Practice What You Preach

While it was a relief to be home, the X-Men couldn't simply collapse in exhaustion once they arrived in Westchester — not when their home was still wrecked and the students needed attention as well.

Hank had his hands full dealing with Angelo — who was at least more stable than he had been when they left — but a few of the older kids and teachers who had stayed behind to help were attending to the rest of the student body. It seemed that there wasn't one person in the whole group who had managed to avoid getting hurt — whether it was simple bruises or more substantial cuts.

"We'll have to clear this," Scott said when he saw the mess that had been made of their home. He sounded tired, though he was trying to hide that exhaustion for everyone else's sake.

"If we can clear everyone… I can offer some explosive help. Or high-speed, if you don't want to start from the beginning," Noh offered.

But before Scott could respond to the offer, he was distracted when much of the metal in the rubble started to move, and then a lot of the rubble cleared itself in short order, announcing Magneto's arrival long before the man in the cape and helmet himself landed nearby.

Erik frowned over the obvious destruction — and over the state of the X-Men themselves and Charles in particular. "I was concerned when I heard the reports of Sentinels attacking your home, but had I known the destruction was this…" He trailed off, gesturing to the rubble and letting the destruction speak for itself.

"To be honest, my old friend," Charles said in a tired tone, "I'm glad you were not there. I'm afraid our captors were using my own knowledge against us. I'd hate for that to be turned against you as well."

Erik frowned at that. "What happened?" he asked, his tone softening as he considered Charles.

"An ambush," Charles explained simply. "They were far more prepared than we are."

"They must have been," Erik agreed, frowning harder, "to have used you, old friend."

"Yes, well." Charles shook his head. "Thankfully, that's behind us."

"Perhaps." Erik looked over the rubble before he said, without looking Charles' way, "If you would strike first, strike them down, this would not happen. How long do you suppose you have before they return?"

"They won't," Charles said.

"Charles, you have always been optimistic to a fault, but—"

"The man is dead, Erik."

Erik didn't bother to hide his surprise as he turned Charles way. "That doesn't sound like you," he said, though he was only just keeping the obvious interest and slightly smug tone out of his voice. "And it especially doesn't sound like your disciples."

Charles let out a long sigh, though it was obvious he was keeping his silence. The last thing he wanted to do was to encourage Erik to start pressing his X-Men all over again, especially when they were all still reeling from the attack on their home. And he especially didn't want to subject Noh to that pressure when the young man was still feeling so very vulnerable.

After all, Charles could hear the self-doubt creeping into Noh's mind. He had been working so hard to build up his mental defenses — only to have them burst yet again by outside forces. Add to that the fact that he felt like he had broken his promises to the X-Men with his conduct, and Noh was in a delicate place, starting to revert back to his old ways of thinking as a defense.

Charles didn't want Erik to take advantage of that.

Not that it would have been difficult for Erik to determine who had done the most damage. Even if all of the X-Men were bloody and bruised and tired and in some way marked by the battle, it was no surprise to see that Logan and K were wearing plenty of evidence of battle… as was Noh.

Erik let out an interested sort of noise before he made his way over to the young man — who was lending his enhanced strength to the task of dealing with the remains of their old home.

"It seems you've all been through a terrible ordeal," Erik said mildly.

Noh looked up at Erik with a frown before he inclined his head by way of acknowledgement. "Unfortunately, it seems our enemies know only too well how to divide us and take advantage of any weaknesses they can find," he said, though it didn't escape Erik's notice that the young man had moved almost in front of Jubilee. It was a clearly protective move, and one that caught Erik's interest.

He had noticed the candy before and surmised the relationship, but it was interesting to see how quickly and how deeply it had formed.

"That, my young friend, is what happens in war," Erik said.

"I know," Noh said simply. "I've seen many wars — on many worlds."

"Then you know that there are so rarely rules — and those that are in place are broken."

"I have seen that, yes," Noh said, and Erik didn't miss the way the young man narrowed his eyes, his fingers drumming irritatedly against his side. "They do not abide by the same rules of engagement as the X-Men. And that makes them that much worse — especially because my friends are peacekeepers."

Erik raised one eyebrow. "And you don't include yourself in that group."

"I'm still learning," Noh said. He tipped his head to the side as he studied Erik. "And you? Have you also been attacked and come to ask aid?"

Erik couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Nothing like that. My strongholds are safe — because I know what it takes to keep them that way."

"If that is the case, then what brings you here?"

Erik gestured at the destruction all around them. "I came here because I saw the reports of your destruction," he said. "I know you have been told how much I disagree with the X-Men, but that doesn't mean I want to see Charles and his children wiped from the face of the world by a madman."

"Yeah, you'd rather do it yourself," Jubilee said, her eyes narrowed.

Erik frowned at her for that before he shook his head. "As always, I would rather see mutantkind advancing. That includes the X-Men."

Jubilee harrumphed, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, screaming with her body language just how much she didn't believe Erik, before she turned to Noh and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, handsome. The company here just got a lot more dull."

Noh smirked at her and pulled an arm around her shoulder, though before he could leave, Erik stopped him once more: "Should you ever find that you tire of following the X-Men and their unrealistic dreams, my door is open."

Noh frowned, especially when Jubilee glanced up at him with an angry sort of look at the implication that he might leave. He met her gaze before he turned back to face Erik. "Should you ever find that you apply your philosophy reasonably, then I will consider entertaining your offer."

Erik's eyes narrowed at that. "What—"

"You say you search for the best, and yet the best are to be found with the X-Men. So you champion the dregs and those who have no honor instead." Noh shook his head. "Either stand for what you say you stand for or join the X-Men and suffer the difference of opinion. But what you are doing now is neither."

Erik was obviously taken aback by Noh's viewpoint — and then he switched to sneering at the young man. "Ignorance."

Noh tipped his chin up. "No. Practicality. I may not agree with the methodology, but the philosophy is sound. And I would rather be hampered by too much caution in pursuit of peace than not enough caution in pursuit of the advancement of dereliction."

Erik narrowed his eyes at that. "I see," he said simply before he turned on his heels to leave. "Good luck picking up the pieces of the results of your philosophy," he said over his shoulder as he floated out — loud enough that Charles heard it as well and was left shaking his head.

Jubilee, meanwhile, took Noh's arm, a smile wide on her face. "You tell 'im, Noh," she said, obviously proud as she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Noh smirked her way and pulled her into an actual kiss. "Can you blame me? I feel I must call out egregious nonsense."

"Totally agreed," Jubilee said, letting out a little laugh.

Noh smiled and pulled his arm around her shoulder, though he was quiet for a long moment. "He is not wrong, you know."

Jubilee let out a noise from the back of her throat. "Oh, Noh, you were doing so well until just then…"

He held up a hand. "No, listen to me," he said. "We just saw what can happen when threats are left unchecked and given too many chances to redeem themselves." He let out a sigh. "I believe in the people here, Jubilee. But you are all too hesitant."

Jubilee frowned and made it a point to wrap her arm around his middle so she could snuggle in a little better. "This… this was a spectacularly bad example of the worst that could go wrong. So not fair to use it as a metric."

"Is not the point of having a plan to put it in place for exactly when the worst things happen?" Noh pointed out gently. "You are all supposed to be fighters. You may be warriors for justice, but that does not mean you should limit yourself in every case." He tipped his head lower. "I tried to apologize to Charles for killing Bastion, and he wouldn't have it. I know for a fact that even he can see the value of breaking from your rules of engagement on occasion."

"Not all the time, though. Not like Magneto wants to run things," Jubilee pointed out gently.

"No," Noh agreed. "And that's not what I'm advocating. I understand why you do things the way you do." He looked toward where Magneto had vanished and paused. "But he's not wrong."

"Noh…"

"Jubilee, I promise you, I've given my loyalty to the X-Men," Noh told her honestly. "There is nothing that can change that. You mean too much to me."

"But…"

"But even I have to admit that Magneto's philosophy more closely mirrors the one I grew up with," Noh said with a sigh. "I believe that there are more superior genes worth advancing — and if he were to actually choose those superior mutants for his team, I would help him."

Jubilee let out a sigh and shook her head. "And who says who's superior?" she challenged Noh, looking him squarely in the eye. "Because if you go by what some people say, then that leaves me and a few other people out of things."

"That's not—"

"It is," Jubilee said evenly, not about to drop Noh's gaze. "You can make all the arguments you want, but I hear it every day. I know where that goes. And who's going to decide which mutants are good enough, huh? You? Magneto?"

"I—"

"When are you going to get it through that thick, beautiful head of yours that things are different here?" Jubilee asked, though she had gone from a serious tone to one that was more teasing as she pulled on his hand to get him to duck closer so she could kiss his cheek. "Come on, handsome. I know you're not slow."

"I most certainly am not," Noh said, drawing himself up a little taller at the insinuation.

Jubilee couldn't help but laugh to herself, especially since she'd known that was the best way to get Noh out of his head. She was really starting to get a handle on the right kind of buttons to push, and if she was honest, she thought he was pretty darn cute when he would get all… huffy. "You totally are, starshine," she giggled.

Noh shook his head, though it seemed for the moment that Jubilee had defused him anyway, and he switched from arguing to sweeping her up in his arms with a smile. "You really must stop saying such ridiculous things, my Jubilee," he teased.

"Oh yeah?" Jubilee raised an eyebrow as she rearranged herself in his arms, with her hands around his neck and a huge smile on. "What are you going to do about it if I don't?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can come up with something," Noh said, pulling her into a long and involved kiss that didn't break until both of them needed to come up for air.

Not that you two aren't both adorable, but you can't take it anywhere right now, Jean projected to Jubilee — though the pure glee was evident even in her telepathic voice.

You're no fun.

Hey, I'm just saying. I'm not complaining. But I can't tell you two to get a room when… well…

Yeah, got it. No rooms.

We'll try to work fast. Just for you, Jean teased.

You're terrible.

Yep! Jean replied without a hint of remorse before she went back to whatever she was doing before she butted in on their business — probably flirting with Scott, Jubilee was pretty sure.

"What were you talking about?" Noh asked with a smile. When Jubilee looked his way, he laughed. "You had a look of concentration. I assumed it was a telepathic conversation."

Jubilee raised an eyebrow and then smirked. "Jean's so not subtle," she replied.

"And?"

Jubilee shook her head. "And she pointed out we can't get privacy when the whole place is…" She gestured around them.

"Oh, if that's the case, why didn't you simply speak up?" Noh asked, a crooked smile overtaking his features. "Say the word, Jubilee…" With that, he set her down and zipped off, offering high-speed help to get the rubble cleared up… and leaving Jubilee clutching her stomach laughing at his "sudden" enthusiasm — especially when she could see Jean not far away laughing just as hard.

They all really needed that laugh, too.