Ororo was still trying to decide how she felt about essentially having a mentor as she made her way back to Ms. Grey's office the next morning. After all, she had made it through high school without anyone helping her, parents included. She had been lucky enough to be born intelligent, and had developed a great work ethic to combine her high IQ with. Of course, that may have happened because she hadn't grown up like other children. For example, she didn't know a damn thing about "Dawson's Creek," or who the popular singers were on MTV; she had never seen "American Pie" or been to a co-ed party, and while Alison Blaire had been her best friend for most of her life, there weren't many other people that she was very close to, outside of her own small circle of family. It had been hard to explain to other kids that she couldn't be out of her house past eight PM without explicit permission from her father…even after she turned eighteen. In fact, it had been a miracle that she had been allowed to attend college at all, and she was nearly positive that Alison's dad had spoken some choice words to her own father in order to convince him. Thank God he at least respects Mr. Blaire, Ororo mused. I would have never got out of there if it wasn't for him. The only reason Amahl Farouk, Ororo's adoptive father, even cared what Ali's father thought of him was because they worked in the same corporate office, and he knew that Mr. Blaire made more money than he did. That was why Ali and Ororo had been allowed to play together as children in the first place; Mr. Farouk hoped his daughter developing a friendship with his superior's child would help him get ahead.

Ororo shook herself as she approached Jean's office, trying to clear her mind of all these thoughts. What had happened had happened, and there was nothing that could be done about it. Therefore, she resigned herself to meeting the student who would help her, and softly knocked on the door.

When it swung open, however, Ororo gaped in shock at the person standing in front of her. He was easily the most handsome man she'd ever met face to face…his hair was deep auburn, and fell haphazardly over his dark eyes. He wore jeans that slung low on his hips, and a beater that showed off his well-toned arms, still tan from the summertime. The long, lean lines of his torso began to draw her eyes all the way down his body, but she was abruptly snapped out of her trance when Jean Grey spoke from behind him. "Ororo Munroe, I'd like you to meet Remy Lebeau. He'll be your guide through the academic watch program." The young girl was still too dumbstruck to speak, but managed to hold out her hand in greeting. He grasped it firmly and grinned at her with a smile that made her knees melt, then motioned for her to join him in sitting down in the chairs facing Jean's desk. Why didn't I ever consider that I might get a male student as a tutor? She wondered. Looking back, she wished she had at least thought to put on some lip gloss before leaving her dorm room. Man, Alison's gonna love this when I tell her.

"So Ororo, Remy is a sophomore who completed the program last year, and I know you'll benefit from his guidance. He holds down good grades and still manages to volunteer a few days a week at the local Boys & Girls Club."

Ororo stole another glance at her new companion while Jean spoke. So he's intelligent, handsome, and he loves kids…man, I'm in trouble.

"He'll be around for you as much as possible, but at the very least, you'll see each other every Thursday to check on how you're doing."

New favorite day of the week – Thursday.

"For now though, I'll leave you two to get to know each other better. If you'd like, after your walk, you can meet me back here and I'll answer any questions you may have, Ororo." Jean smiled as she stood up and opened the door for the two young adults.

"T'anks, Ms. Grey. I'll be seein' ya," Remy touched her shoulder briefly as he exited the room and started walking down the hall.

"Yes, thank you very much," Ororo echoed.

Jean put her hand on the younger woman's arm, stopping her momentarily. "I know you were probably surprised to see who we picked for you, but trust me, I think you'll both find that you have a lot in common. He's honestly one of my favorite students to ever go through our program here." She smiled again, and motioned for Ororo to follow Remy. "Remember, anything you ever want to talk about, my door's always open. See you soon."

As Ororo walked away, she couldn't help but smooth her clothes and hair. Her companion had apparently already started going down the stairs, and she took these few brief seconds apart to try and make herself look more presentable. Who am I kidding, though? He doesn't seem like the kind of person who cares if someone's shirt is wrinkled, or if their hair is out of place. She didn't know why she thought that, it was just an intuitive feeling she'd gotten when he smiled at her for the first time. His charm was more than just about being handsome; there was something deeper going on there that she couldn't quite put her finger on yet.

Ororo made her way over to the door that led to the stairwell and was surprised to find Remy waiting for her at the top. "Oh, I thought you'd gone down already."

"Wouldn't that make me kind of a dick to leave wit'out you?" He smirked.

Ororo blushed a little. "I guess so."

"Well, now at least you know dat I'm not." He held the door for her as she passed through it into the stairwell. As they began to descend together he asked, "So, where you wanna go so we can talk?"

"Anywhere that's not on campus."

"Oh, you been havin' trouble wit' de locals, huh? I know de feelin'."

Ororo snapped her head around to look at him. "Why? There doesn't seem to be anything strange about you."

"Oh, you didn't look too close then, girl." They had reached the bottom of the stairs and he held the door for her as they made their way outside. "Now dat we in the light, look harder."

She started at his shoes and looked up his body, trying to discover what he was talking about without making it too obvious that she found him highly attractive. Keep it under control, he's just your tutor, she tried to calm herself. But it was hard to do when the young man in front of her had such a cute butt, and long fingers that she wished were trailing over her body, and lips that were perfectly kissable, and eyes that– "Whoa!"

"Ah, you discovered them." He looked at her with red on black eyes, his emotions hard to read.

She didn't know what to say at first. "Uh, have they always been like that?"

"I guess so. Don't have any baby pictures t' tell from, but maybe dat's a sign in itself."

Ororo summed up her courage. "May I…look at them closer?" Her ears burned but she was pleased with herself after a second when he led her to a nearby bench, and they sat down together, perfectly level with each other.

He shut his eyes for a second, and then without warning, opened them up, expecting her to jump back like most everyone else. However, he was surprised to find that she leaned in a little instead, matching his gaze with hers evenly. He felt like she was searching his soul, and did everything he could not to blink. "So, what do you t'ink?"

Ororo cleared her throat. "At first I was taken aback, since I've never met anyone else who had strange eyes like mine."

Remy raised his eyebrow. "Your eyes ain't weird, Ororo. Some dark-skinned people have blue eyes, girl."

"Maybe, but their eyes don't cloud over when they get angry." She finally broke his gaze. "Someone used to tell me that…that they showed the evil inside of me."

Her involuntary shudder was unbeknownst to her, but taken in by her companion, so he put his hand on her knee for a second. "Hey. My earliest mem'ry is of another one o' the kids in my foster home callin' me 'Le Diable Blanc.'" Ororo didn't speak French, so she looked puzzled. "The uh, 'white devil.'" Remy offered up quietly.

Ororo reached for his hand and squeezed it briefly. "That's awful." For a minute silence reigned between them, but it was as if each had come to understand the other without knowing many details.

"Come on." Remy stood up. "I'll show you de best place t' get away from everyt'ing." Ororo joined him and they began walking around the perimeter of the campus, teetering on the edge of all she had yet known at the school. He led her down a specific street, then in and out of a maze of parked cars and busy sidewalks until they came to a recreational area that she had never known existed, smack dab in the middle of the city. It was filled with trees, and while leaves covered the grassy areas, the middle of the small forest held a concrete path for exercisers and wanderers alike. Remy pointed to it. "On de other side it come out on a neighborin' college campus. You can follow de main path, or stray from it an' discover lots of secret spots fo' yo'self." He started walking through the woods, touching the trunks of well-worn trees.

"You love it here, don't you?" Ororo said softly.

"Only place aroun' dat makes me feel like myself again." He looked at the sky peeking through the branches before turning back to her. "Come on. Let's walk."

The pair moved along the path in silence for a few minutes. Normally, this would have been very uncomfortable for Ororo, but for some reason, Remy's natural comfort in the forest put her right at ease. She felt like nothing could go wrong in that particular moment and managed to forget about every bad thing that had happened that week. After awhile, Remy stopped and smiled at her. "So, was dis a sufficient hideaway from reality or what?"

Ororo nodded. "It's so beautiful here. I've always loved being around plants and other growing things."

"Oh, so you a gardener? Not me. More like, a plant slaughterer." They both laughed. "No, seriously…once, I had a geranium I was s'posed t' take care of for school. I kept it on de windowsill to make sure it got enough light, right, but one day it was like, ninety degrees out, an' I came home t' find de plant and de pot all smashed on de sidewalk. I swear, dat geranium committed suicide t' keep me from messin' wit' it anymore." They both guffawed with laughter, the sounds bouncing in front of them down the pathway. "Oh well," Remy finally calmed down. "I guess I'll jus' leave de gardenin' up to Mother Nature an' enjoy de woods."

Ororo nodded, still smiling in the corner of her mouth. It felt so good to have someone to talk to who seemed to genuinely like her. Ugh, I wish this moment would never end. I don't even want to think about going back to my dorm and doing homework.

"You so quiet, I gotta say," Remy broke into her thoughts. "Well, guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Ms. Grey tol' me you came in here wit' a 4.0 GPA." His companion's face turned a little red. "Hey, hey, not'in' to be embarrassed about. When you smart an' work hard, you should be rewarded for it. I guess I jus' figured dat most people wit' dat score don' have a lot of time fo' fun."

Ororo sighed. You have no idea.

"Well, come on. Don't make me drag it outta ya! What do you like t' do when you jus' hangin' out?" His genuine smile completely disarmed her and she had to take a second to collect her thoughts before answering.

"Uh, okay. What do I like to do…well, I got really good at doing different hair styles as a kid. Like I can braid, and weave in fake hair, and do all those crazy updos and stuff you see in magazines."

"Hey, cool! Who taught you how t' do those things? Your mom?" Remy knew in an instant he had said something wrong. The look of pain in Ororo's eyes was unmistakable.

"Uh, n-no. I, um, taught myself from books." Ororo began walking a little ahead of him, almost imperceptibly faster than he was following her.

"Wait, wait," Remy reached for her arm. "Ororo, I'm so sorry." He watched her look a little beyond him and not quite meet his eyes. "I don' have one either. I never did, far as I know. Always been jus' me an' my Papa. Well, since he adopted me at least."

Ororo swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to un-tense her body. "I was adopted too. When I was six years old." Her halting words made Remy wonder if she'd had as rough a childhood as he had. "My father was living in Cairo at the time and found me in the streets. He'd already had a daughter, Sooraya, and become a widower before we met. Her and I are almost the same age and I think he took me in so she wouldn't be lonely anymore." She wanted to continue and say, but he never lets me speak about my own mother, who I remember. However, she was more than aware of how terrible the cost would be if her father ever found out, so she said nothing more.

After an awkward moment of silence, Remy sensed that her openness with him was over, and quickly changed the subject. "Well, fo' me, I love music, so most of my free time is caught up wit' dat."

"What, do you play an instrument?"

Remy laughed. "Well, I like t' pretend dat I can play guitar, but only a few chords. Jus' messin' around, you know? What I really like is Zydeco music."

"I've never heard of that before," Ororo replied honestly.

Her companion shook his head. "Mon Dieu, you don' know what you missin'! Dat's the Cajun people's soul all wrapped up in song."

"Ah," Ororo remarked. "I was wondering if that was where you were originally from."

"You already got me figured out den, huh girl?" He smiled. "Yeah, I'm a Cajun at heart. But my père, he's a wanderer, and I grew up in lots of diff'rent places, not the least of all here."

"Is that why you know the city so well?"

"No. My current home is close t' here, but not too close. Don't wan' de old man comin' to visit jus' anytime he wants!" He chuckled good-naturedly, but Ororo wondered if there was more behind what he was saying. She certainly did not want her father anywhere near her college campus if she could help it.

They had come to the end of the path and seen the adjacent college, turned around again, and headed back towards their own buildings. "How old were you when you were adopted, if you don't mind my asking?" She queried.

"Eight." The sound of their shoes hitting the sidewalk was the only thing that could be heard for a moment, but Ororo waited until he elaborated. "Took my Pops eight damn years t' find me. Certainly wish he'd ha' got dere sooner."

"But he's not your biological father, is he?"

The young man's eyes filled with mirth. "If you could only see him, you woulda never asked me dat question." Ororo looked puzzled so he continued. "He's only five feet, three inches." His companion's eyes widened.

"You must tower over him!"

"Ever since I hit puberty. But believe me, he can be scary when he wants t' be. Always managed to keep me in line." Once again, questions arose in Ororo's mind that she didn't want to ask out loud. Could he have had a similar childhood to hers?

"Also, I should also say dat he's de hairiest mothafucka dat you've ever seen in yo' life," he chortled. "And you can see dat I'm really not."

Ororo chanced a sideways glance at him, noting his smooth-seeming body and well-kept head of hair. She made herself turn away rather quickly though, as uninvited ideas of running her hands over his muscular shoulders began to enter her brain...

"But he's a good man. What about yo' father?"

Ororo tensed up at the unexpected question. It had hit her like a piercing arrow, and she insanely wondered what he suspected about her home life. This time, however, Remy was focused on the path ahead and missed the fearful look that she quickly contained, concocting instead a simple, unassuming answer. "He um, works in a corporate office. He never remarried after his first wife died, and Sooraya and I are all that he has."

Unbeknownst to her, Remy LeBeau had always been very good at reading people; perhaps that was what made him such a natural charmer. He noticed that she said nothing particularly personal about him, and that she had given this information without a lot of emotion in her voice. He let it go for now, but resolved to find out more in the future. "Well, we're back, for better or for worse." Ororo's face dropped in visible disappointment. Remy put his arm on hers. "Hey. You can tell me what happened to you."

For one wild moment she thought he meant in her life back home, but then realized that he was talking about the here and now, of course. "Oh it's...just stupid," she murmured.

"Bein' so unhappy in just a few days isn't stupid." He moved over to the hidden end of a garden wall on the edge of the campus. He intuitively thought that maybe she would open up if they could just remain hidden within the safety of trees a moment longer.

Ororo sighed, not sure if she even wanted to say it out loud. It all sounded so childish. "The girls on my floor, they don't..." Like me, she thought. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. "They don't uh, seem too friendly." She finished lamely.

Remy scoffed. "No surprise dere. So many of de girls at dis school t'ink dey got it goin' on when dey really got not'in' goin' on upstairs." He tapped his forehead with his index finger.

Ororo shifted her eyes to the ground, chuckling softly. It made her feel better to have someone else say that the people bothering her were morons. For a second it was like Alison was here with her, but thinking that caused pain in her heart. Ali's a thousand miles away, she thought, and was mad at herself when she blinked back tears.

"Are you missing someone?" Remy questioned thoughtfully. Ororo gave the most imperceptible nod but he caught it. "A boyfriend?" He asked, an unexpected sinking feeling happening in his gut.

"Oh, no, no," His companion immediately replied, acting like that was an absolute impossibility, and she missed the incredulous look in his eyes at her tone of voice. "Just my best friend."

"Remy knows how dat is." He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned his elbows on the wall. "When I first got here, I missed my dog, my friends, my car, an' my privacy. You know how annoying it is t' have a roommate who gets high every night, comes home at three in de morning, an' eats all yo' food in de middle of de carpet so dat you find a pile of empty wrappers an' insects in de morning? Disgusting. I shoulda popped dat little weasel when I had de chance," he shook his head regretfully.

"I don't have a roommate actually," Ororo stated.

"Really, fille? You got a single?" She nodded. "I t'ink you're de type of person who's lucky, and don' even know it," he smiled. "A single as a freshman," he marveled.

Ororo shook her head. Lucky. No one had ever called her lucky in her life. Instead she'd been a burden, a disgrace on the family name; a curse, really. Lucky. She rolled the word silently over her tongue before Remy started talking again.

"Well, at least now, you got one friend who will come an' visit you." Ororo looked around in surprise, unsure of what he meant by that. "Me, of course!" He said, laughing at her expression.

Immediately Ororo felt her cheeks turn red at the prospect of having him in her room with her. She wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or excitement; all she knew was that she was quite overwhelmed at the moment, and dearly wished that Alison was closer than a phone call away right now.

"So is dat all dat was bothering you? Are you sure dat de courses aren't kickin' yo' ass too?" He prompted.

Snapping back to reality, she managed to answer, hoping that the lack of light in their area had hidden her reddened cheeks. "No, they're okay." She hesitated, but then decided just to come out with the last thing that had been eating away at her. She felt somehow that he would understand. "But my books are hard to study from. They're really falling apart and...and I feel like people are looking at me when I'm studying from them because they're so covered in graffiti."

"What classes are you taking?" Remy asked, and Ororo told him her full workload. They discussed which books she had for each class, but she couldn't understand why he was asking her these questions until he said, "I took almost all of dose last year, an' I still have my books. You can use 'em for dis semester if you want."

It felt like a ray of light pierced Ororo's heart. "What?" She stammered.

"I know what it's like to have damaged t'ings dat you gotta use. It sucks. Just take my books, and den you can give 'em back t' me at de end of de semester. I'll get 'em for you dis weekend when I go home." Ororo looked bewildered so Remy blathered on a little longer. "At least dis way, you'll only have one crappy book t' deal wit' de rest of de semester. I never did get around to taking Psychology," he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe next year."

Ororo felt so light that she thought she might float away, but at least she had regained control of her voice. "Oh thank you, thank you so much."

"It's just books, beb," he smiled, and she felt like she could kiss him. "Jus' take good care of 'em fo' me, okay?"

She would guard them with her life, she decided. A little theatrical, to be sure, but so few good things ever happened to her that she was feeling a little over-dramatic about this stroke of good fortune. See? He was right. You are lucky, her small inner voice reminded her. Lucky to have met him, Ororo thought.

"Well anyway, it was nice t' meet you." He took her hand and helped her out of their enclave. "I guess we'll be seein' each other ev'ry week now, so no need t' be a stranger at school. Say hi whenever you feel like it. I live in de main dorms, de third floor. Come visit if you want. Follow de Zydeco music," he laughed.

Ororo knew that now would be a perfect time to mention where she lived so that he could come and visit her, but she just couldn't seem to form the words.

"I'll see you again after I get de books fo' you dis weekend." He squeezed her arm in a friendly way. "Good luck, Miss Ororo Munroe." And with a smile that reflected the oncoming sunset, he left.

Ororo walked back to her dorm room in a daze, completely overwhelmed by all that had just happened to her. No boy in her life had ever been allowed to come close enough to get to know her, forget about someone as gorgeous as Remy LeBeau. Although she was having conflicting feelings, for once happiness overwhelmed her careful calculations of how to stay out of trouble, and she simply enjoyed the fact that for the first time in a long time, she had found a new friend.

–-

*AN: Oh Remy, how I would have loved to have met you in college...I still do not own X-Men, but at least I own this story! Thanks for reading :-