Silence

by Lady Jaye1

Marvel/GI Joe crossover. Sometimes being a mutant means having to hide it.

27. Mixing Joes and XMen

GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.

I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.

Sorry for the delayed chapter. I'm going to be really busy the next few months, so my updating will be a bit slow. I'll try to at least get one chapter up a month. After May, I'll be able to update faster.

Also, I'd like to thank willwrite4fics for beta reading part of this chapter and offering some suggestions.

Silence

Chapter 27: Mixing Joes and X-Men

The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

It was early in the morning when Lifeline walked into the mansion's kitchen. One week had passed since the attack on the Pit and things hadn't been quite normal since then. For now, however, it was a Saturday morning and only one of the X-Men appeared to be awake at the moment.

"Good morning," Hank McCoy told him. The blue mutant was sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee and reading the New York Times. Edwin nodded to him and made his way over to fridge. He quickly made himself some eggs and joined the man at the table.

"Your friend causes quite the ruckus in the morning," Beast observed dryly. "Although it hasn't been, how shall we say, as boisterous the last couple of days as it usually is. Somehow, I think Gambit is enjoying their runs now."

"Could be," Lifeline shrugged. "He won't admit it though. Gambit seemed pretty pissed yesterday that he's now waking up without Beach's help. Although," he admitted, "I think they enjoy arguing in the morning…and waking the rest of us up."

An amused Beast agreed with him. They chatted amicably for several minutes. Lifeline had begun to help the other man with his research on the Legacy Virus. Even though he wasn't an expert on the disease, Edwin wanted to do what he could to help. Beast seemed more than happy to have someone to share the burden with and had allowed the medic access to all of his files.

A silent figure slipped into the kitchen and waved good morning. Snake Eyes looked around before pulling an orange juice out of the fridge.

*Where are the two loudmouths?* he signed. Lifeline shrugged. Neither Beach Head nor Gambit had returned yet, as far as he could tell. His ears picked up footsteps elsewhere in the mansion, but recognized them as belonging to the four other Joes that had been temporarily quartered at the school.

*Scarlett's vowed to kill them,* the silent ninja added. *You should have heard the swearing this morning when they woke her up.*

"Good luck with that," Lifeline said, rolling his eyes. "You remember when Nightcrawler teleported them into the big freezer on Tuesday?" After they had gotten out, a three way fight had broken out in the mansion. An annoyed Snake Eyes had helped an equally irritated Cyclops separate the three men, as well as confiscate Nightcrawler's epee sword.

"Where are they?" an annoyed voice demanded. Jinx glared around the kitchen, as if hoping that the two targets of her wrath would magically appear.

"Where are who?" A cheerful Cajun voice asked. Lifeline rolled his eyes as the female ninja turned on the red eyed man standing in the kitchen doorway. Gambit warily eyed the woman and backed slowly away from her.

"Now, now, chere," Remy LeBeau said, "It ain't Gambit's fault. It's all Beach Head, Gambit's just the victim." He yelped when Jinx poked him hard in the ribs. The Cajun dashed around to hide behind Lifeline's chair, as if hoping the medic would protect him.

"What makes you think you're safe just because you're behind me?" Lifeline asked dryly, looking up at him.

"Because you're a nice medic who won't let angry ninjas poke holes in me," the Cajun answered. Snake Eyes tapped the man on the shoulder and made a cutting motion with his other hand. Gambit moved around to the other side of Lifeline, only to find Jinx suddenly behind him.

"It ain't Gambit's fault, you damned ninja!" Remy LeBeau shouted. "And he ain't scared of you anyway."

"Then why are you trying to hide behind Lifeline?" Beast asked. The Cajun muttered something in French, which Lifeline didn't understand. Snake Eyes' shoulders shook slightly in silent laughter as he finally backed off of the mutant, apparently having decided that scaring him had been sufficient punishment for yet another early morning wake up.

A now grumpy Remy LeBeau grabbed a couple of muffins and a cup of coffee before exiting the kitchen. The two ninjas slipped out as well, leaving just Edwin Steen and Henry McCoy. The two men sat in silent companionship until another presence announced himself.

"Where the hell's LeBeau?" Beach Head barked. "Ah could have sworn Ah heard the idiot yelling around here."

"And good morning to you too," Lifeline said. "How did the run go?" Beach Head snorted as he rummaged through the cabinets and finally pulled out a box of cereal.

"Other than him pushing me into a wall, okay," the ranger grumbled. Lifeline decided not to ask about the wall, figuring that it had come out in worse shape than the man pushed into it.

"And why did he push you into a wall?" Beast asked politely, his eyes skimming down another page of his newspaper.

"I smacked him for smarting off to me," Beach Head explained. Hank McCoy raised an eyebrow and the ranger grew defensive.

"He deserved it!"

"Of course he did," Beast said mildly, a small smile playing on his lips. Wayne Sneeden glared at the blue mutant, but stopped when he realized it wasn't having any effect. The ranger gave a small sigh and dug into his cereal.

"He's getting better," Beach Head admitted. "He's not breathing as hard as before and he's reached the point where he can do eight miles without any problems. I should be able to have him up to ten soon."

They ate in silence for several minutes. Short Fuze wandered into the kitchen and hesitated in the doorway. The blonde awkwardly said good morning before making breakfast for himself. The man tried to make an escape, but Beast politely asked the other Joe if he'd like to join them. Short Fuze hesitated again before pulling a chair out from the table and sitting between Lifeline and Beast.

"How's the training going?" Lifeline asked their teammate. Again, the man looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Professor Xavier thinks I might be able to learn how to control my clairvoyant ability," Short Fuze answered. From what Lifeline understood, the man also apparently had precognition and something that Xavier had termed spatial awareness, meaning that the mortar soldier seemed to instinctively know where he was at all times.

"That's good," Lifeline told him, trying to be encouraging. Short Fuze still seemed to be having problems adjusting to the fact that he was a mutant. He didn't say anything else and the medic decided not to push the issue.

"How is the rest of your team doing?" Beast asked after a while, attempting to make conversation.

"Good," Beach Head replied. "Leatherneck's still training the greenshirts while I'm on leave. Hawk's got them quartered at SHIELD with the rest of the Joes."

"Aren't there a few of you at the Avenger's mansion too?" Beast asked. The ranger nodded and listed which Joes were currently staying there. Lifeline half listened as he thought back to the past week. Since the Pit was currently not livable, most of the Joes had been quartered at SHIELD. Hawk had reasoned that they should use the opportunity to improve relations between the different groups. Because of that, he was also rotating small groups of Joes between the Avengers and the X-Men to live with them for a few days.

"When are Scarlett and the ninjas going back to SHIELD?" Lifeline asked. Beach Head shrugged.

"I think on Monday. Flint said that Hawk had decided on week rotations. I'm not sure who's coming here next."

"Good luck prying Snake Eyes away from the Danger Room," Short Fuze said, finally speaking up again. "He's practically moved in there."

"I know," Beach Head complained. "Cable and I had to kick him and Kamakura out yesterday when we wanted to train. He's been lusting after that thing so bad that I think he's ready to ditch Scarlett for it." Lifeline snorted with laughter and felt orange juice shoot up his nose. He coughed and rubbed at his nose, trying to will the burning sensation away.

"What the dang hell's wrong with you?" the ranger asked, staring at him. "Stupid medic."

"Speaking of Scarlett," Lifeline said, changing the subject slightly. "She's apparently threatened to kill you and Gambit for waking her up this morning." Beach Head made a 'pff' sound as he poured another bowl of cereal.

"Let her try, Ah ain't scared of her."

"Jinx and Snake Eyes are pissed too," Lifeline added. "They tried to murder Gambit earlier." Okay, maybe 'murder' was a bit exaggerated, but there had definitely been some killing intent radiating off of the two ninja.

"Tried?" Beach Head asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Gambit hid behind me for a while and then escaped. He took the last of the muffins."

"That's who took them?" the ranger asked, now slightly irritated. "Ah was lookin' for them before, stupid Cajun. Those were Roadblock muffins too." In an attempt to mollify the other man, Lifeline pointed out that Roadblock might be one of the Joes moving into the mansion the following week. Beach Head perked up slightly at the thought.

Ed rolled his eyes. It figured that a discussion of food could both cheer his friend up as well as distract him. Speaking of distraction…

"Is Cover Girl coming over again today?" he asked mildly. The tank driver was one of the Joes currently staying at the Avenger compound. She and Rogue had struck up an instant friendship and now the two women were rarely somewhere without the other. Beach Head had grumbled a bit, mostly because Cover Girl being friends with Rogue meant that Gambit was automatically going to be around. However, Edwin knew that the ranger didn't actually mind as much as he pretended.

"Yeah, she and Rogue are going shopping," Beach Head replied. A slight blush crept into his cheeks, which the other three men at the table pretended not to see. The ranger had made a few stumbling efforts to try talking more to the tank driver throughout the week, one of which had ended with them in a screaming match.

"Maybe you should invite her over for dinner tonight," Beast suggested. "It would be nice to get to know your teammates better." Lifeline nearly smiled at the blue mutant's choice of words, but stopped himself. Hank was attempting to help the ranger with his "wooing" skills, or lack thereof, without being obvious about it.

Edwin may have let it slip to Henry McCoy that Beach Head had feelings for a certain tank driver.

"That's not a bad idea," Beach Head mused, the blush on his cheeks deepening. Short Fuze unsuccessfully hid a snicker, which earned a glare from the ranger.

"What the hell's so danged funny?" the ranger barked.

"Nothing," Short Fuze denied.

"Yeah right," Beach Head drawled. "Drop and give me fifty. Ah don't like being lied to."

Short Fuze grumbled under his breath, which earned him another twenty-five pushups. The mortar soldier dropped to the kitchen floor and began pumping out seventy-five pushups for the irritated sergeant major. Lifeline and Beast wisely kept their mouths shut to avoid drawing the man's ire.

"And you," Beach Head accused, glaring at the medic. "Ah told you not to tell anyone, and here you blabbed to Beast." God damned telepathy. Some days Lifeline really hated not being able to keep his thoughts private.

"I didn't know we were in high school," Short Fuze sniped from the floor. Lifeline winced as the ranger turned to bellow angrily at the other Joe. He rubbed at his ear, also wishing that his hearing wasn't so acute.

Short Fuze pumped out fifty more pushups.

"I'm not exactly one to ask for relationship advice," Edwin pointed out, trying to defend himself. "I was just asking Hank his opinion, is all. It's not like I talked to someone like Flint or Archangel about it." Beach Head chewed on his lip for a moment before deciding that it was an acceptable explanation.

"Tony's given me some advice," the ranger admitted. "He's promised to help."

"Tony? As in Tony Stark?" Beast asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with Tony helping?" Beach Head asked dangerously. Beast hid his face behind the newspaper, but both men could easily hear him snickering under his breath.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Hank McCoy finally answered, still trying not to laugh. "However, if I may offer a suggestion Wayne, you might ask someone else for advice."

"What's wrong with Tony?" the ranger asked cluelessly. "He's dated plenty of women. Who else would I ask?"

"Jean or Storm?" Beast suggested. "In this case, I would suggest trying to get some female advice to counteract Tony's 'advice'." Beach Head scowled at the thought, clearly not comfortable with asking relationship advice from one of the women.

"Anyway," Lifeline said, trying to calm a certain ranger down. "I think dinner's a good idea. I'd say that you take any opportunity that you can to spend with her. You know that she has feelings for you too." Beach Head had admitted to him that he'd read it in her mind, even if Courtney had yet to vocally admit to any of it.

"You're not going to be here for dinner, are you?" Beach Head suddenly asked, poking around in his mind. Edwin sent him a glare and the ranger gave an apologetic shrug.

"No," Lifeline relented, knowing that it was difficult for a telepath to not "hear" nearby thoughts. "Peter invited me to go 'out on the town' with him tonight." Peter Parker hadn't gone to any specifics about what they might do, but there had been a suspicious gleam in his eyes that Lifeline didn't quite trust.

"Make sure to wear a mask then," Beast told him. "Peter's idea of "out on the town" is fighting criminals and swinging between buildings." Lifeline stared at him for a moment before groaning. Stupid Peter. He had no intention of playing superhero with the idiot.

"You've already committed to it, can't back out now," Beach Head smirked. "I'm sure you'll look dashing in tights."

"Shut up Wayne."

"You can wear an X-Men uniform," Beast suggested. "We've got some masks in storage too."

"You're not helping Hank," Lifeline sighed.

God damned Peter Parker. No wonder the man had looked like he was hiding something. More than a bit irked now, Edwin decided to call the man in question. He didn't care if Parker would probably still be asleep. The phone rang for a while before there was finally a click.

"Who is it?" a sleepy voice asked.

"Peter, what did you mean by 'out on the town'?" Lifeline demanded. "This had better not be anything that I need to wear a mask for!"

"Ed, it's six thirty in the damn morning!" Peter Parker complained. "And good morning to you too!"

"Sorry," Edwin apologized, now feeling bad about calling the man. His face flushed somewhat in embarrassment. Knowing Parker, he'd probably only recently gone to bed after a night of superheroics.

"And yes, you have to wear a mask," Spiderman grumbled. "What did you think I meant by 'out on the town'?"

"Er….yeah…" Lifeline muttered, stuttering slightly. "Sorry Peter, go back to sleep."

"God, I swear, what normal person calls someone at six thirty to bitch at them?" A still cranky Peter Parker asked. Lifeline sighed and apologized again. The other man grumpily accepted the apology and hung up. Ed could feel his face burning bright red. It figured that he'd manage to screw up a potential friendship. He knew better than to lose his temper.

"I think Beach Head's rubbing off on you," Short Fuze told him. He received two sets of glares. The blonde suddenly became interested in a box of cereal next to him.

"It's not like Parker was that clear," Wayne pointed out, trying to make him feel better. "You're not a superhero and he knows you're a pacifist."

"I know," Lifeline muttered, still feeling a little upset about it. Not only was he not happy about being expected to participate in vigilantism, he was now dreading meeting up with Peter later. The man would probably still be pissed at him, as well as think he was an idiot for not making the connection.

Dammit, what a way to start the day. And here he'd been thinking that he was starting to fit in with the X-Men and Avengers. The medic supposed he could tell Peter no, but he felt uneasy about backing out of the man's invitation when he'd already agreed to it.

Even though Beast tried to reassure him, there was a sinking feeling in Lifeline's stomach that refused to disappear the rest of the day.

---

Dallas, Texas.

Duke stared up at the tall, multi-storied penthouse in front of him. Inside was his current target, hopefully to be recruited into helping Tony Stark design and build a new Pit at a secret location in Utah. Standing on either side of the sergeant were Scott Summers and Tony Stark himself.

"He does know we're coming, right?" Duke asked. Their appointment was set for one o'clock, but the arrangements had largely been made by Stark and Xavier. Tony Stark grinned slightly as he walked up to the building and rang the doorbell.

"Don't worry about Forge," the Avenger told him. "He can be a bit antisocial sometimes, but he won't forget about meeting with us." As if in reply, the door unlocked and opened for them. The trio walked in, but there was no Forge to be seen. The door shut behind them. Duke took in his surroundings and felt his mouth gape open slightly when he looked up.

See through, floating platforms sat suspended in the air, taking the place of the "normal" floors one would expect to find in a building.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Scott Summers asked. "He even has holographic projectors in all of his rooms to change the décor when he gets tired of it."

"He's got a pool too," Stark added. "A big one….well, not as big as mine."

Duke shook his head. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. Forge, after all, had probably made quite a bit of money through his government contract work. For a mutant with the ability to create any kind of mechanical device he wished, the sergeant realized he should expect to find things as fantastical as floating floors.

"Welcome," a male voice said over an intercom. "Sorry, I got wrapped up in my work. Please make yourselves comfortable in the living room. I'll be there shortly after I clean up a little."

"Got it, we'll see you in a few minutes," Cyclops answered. The X-Men's leader motioned for Duke to follow, and the three men walked up a flight of stairs. Duke peered down at his feet when they entered into a spacious room with a leather couch and two arm chairs. He could easily see down to the bottom level of the building. Conrad Hauser had never been scared of heights, but he didn't quite like the sensation that he was floating a couple of stories up in the air with nothing under his feet. It wasn't quite accurate, of course, as he was walking on a hard, glasslike surface.

"Hey Duke, maybe if you ask nice enough he'll build floating floors in the new Pit," Stark teased, noticing the expression on his face. The sergeant scowled slightly, which elicited a laugh from the Avenger and a chuckle from Scott Summers.

"Why not?" Duke finally sighed. "I've already gotten a request for a Danger Room."

"Snake Eyes?" Cyclops asked knowingly.

"Yes."

As they waited for their host to arrive, Duke thought back to his briefing regarding Forge. According to the government's records, Forge had grown up on a Cheyenne reservation in western Oklahoma. Fury had mentioned that in addition to being a mutant, the man had trained in magic. Forge had apparently been trained to be his tribe's shaman, but had run away to join the army. After that, he'd graduated with top honors from Benning and had drawn the attention of Nick Fury. Fury's attempts to recruit the then young man into SHIELD had failed, as he'd felt that he could be of more use fighting in Vietnam. Forge had quickly risen through the ranks and during his second tour, had been a sergeant in command of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit. His unit had been killed and Forge, the sole survivor, had come out with a missing right hand and leg.

Over the years, Forge had apparently turned his back on his shamanic background and devoted himself entirely to developing and creating machines. He'd periodically served as a supporting member of the X-Men and as the team mechanic, having designed the current versions of the Danger Room and the Blackbird. He'd also become the government's top weapons contractor after Tony Stark had decided to quit making weapons. For a time, he had briefly led the mutant team X-Factor.

All of which brought Duke to Dallas. Forge had an outstanding military record, having been unsuccessfully recruited twice by Nick Fury, even before Fury had become aware of the man's mutant and magical abilities. Forge had also been hired by the government previously as a weapons contractor, even despite reservations by some over his status as a mutant.

"I apologize for making you wait," a voice said. A tall man of Native American descent walked into the living room. Despite the clean shirt the man wore, Duke knew instantly that he was looking at a mechanic. Grease was smeared just above his left elbow and old oil stains stood out against the fabric of a faded pair of jeans. A pair of protective goggles hung around his neck.

"Thanks for meeting with us," Cyclops said. The two men shook hands. Stark shook the man's hand as well, though not before ribbing him about his choice of dress. Forge replied by dryly pointing out that he could have come out stark naked, if that's what they'd wanted. While Tony Stark attempted to wipe the image from his mind, a smirking Forge held out his right hand to the sergeant. Duke forced himself not to stare at the cybernetic hand as he shook it.

"I'm Duke," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," the other man said formally. "As you know, I'm Forge. Shall we get down to business?" He indicated for them to sit. They were momentarily distracted by a disk shaped object that came floating into the room. Duke stared at a tiny robot, which was balancing a tray of coffee cups. Forge absentmindedly took the tray while Tony Stark rushed over to pluck the robot out of the air and carry it back to the couch.

"You can look at Gatsby, but you can't take him apart," Forge warned, looking over at Stark. The Avenger had already popped open a small panel with the intention of looking at the robot's circuitry. Stark grinned and replaced the panel. The little robot flew off after he allowed it to escape.

"Gatsby?" Stark asked. "You named it Gatsby?"

"Hank named it Gatsby," Forge corrected. "After the Great Gatsby."

"You guys named a robot after the most boring book in existence?" the Avenger laughed. Duke cleared his throat and brought the conversation to a halt. They had business to take care of first. The sergeant cut straight to the point and explained the purpose for his visit. Forge sat silently and listened while he talked. When he was finished, Duke took a sip of coffee and waited.

"Just so that we may be clear," Forge said after a moment, "You're not trying to recruit me into GI Joe, correct? Fury tried twice to recruit me for SHIELD and I refused both times."

"No, just contract work," Duke reassured him. "We just want you and Stark to design the next Pit, as well as new weapons for us. If you agree, you'll of course have to submit to a psyche eval and be expected to abide by our rules. You won't be forced to do PT while at the Pit, although that option is open to you if you wish to participate. As you've done contract work before, you know the usual red tape, although there will be a little more since this is GI Joe."

Forge sat lost in thought. On Nick Fury's advice, Duke didn't push the issue. The more he pushed, the more likely that the mutant might drag his feet and refuse.

"The professor tells me that there are mutants in GI Joe," Forge stated. Duke nodded.

"Three. Our medic, sergeant major, and a corporal," he replied. After a moment, he added, "Our sergeant major is a ranger who taught at Benning. Apparently the folks over there are still a bit scared of him." A ghost of a smile drifted over Forge's lips and disappeared. Since the man had been a ranger as well, Duke figured there was no harm in trying to find ways to make him personally interested in the Joes.

"Duke, the 'folks' in GI Joe are a bit scared of him too," Tony Stark pointed out with a smirk. "He's even got Gambit doing PT at four in the morning." Forge gave a snort of laughter, apparently not able to believe that such a thing was possible.

"I suppose I should rephrase it when I say that "PT is optional" for you," Duke groaned. "It'll be optional to the extent that there will be an Alabama bear screaming that you've got no choice, regardless of what I say. Beach Head, our sergeant major, is also the team's DI. He also trains the greenshirts."

Forge seemed amused by the news, rather than wary. He pointed out that he expected no less from a Benning drill instructor.

"As long as I wouldn't have to wear any ranger panties," Forge remarked dryly. "I had my share of that."

"Ranger panties, what are those?" Cyclops asked.

"Ranger short shorts," Duke answered. "I had to wear them when I went through Benning. I hated those things."

"You went through Benning?" Forge asked suddenly. Duke nodded. The other man seemed to relax a fraction, which he took as a good sign.

"At least consider it," Cyclops said, bring them back to the original topic. "Cobra is a serious threat, especially now that they've absorbed Hydra. Besides, if you help, it'll be good for…"

"Improving human-mutant relations by setting a good example for the pinheads in the government," Forge interrupted, waving his hand. "Xavier already gave me his usual spiel."

"The sentinels are another threat," Duke added. "I'm sure that the X-Men have already informed you about the newest ones." At least, Cyclops had said that they'd given a report to him. He was relieved to see a grim expression cross Forge's face. The man nodded a moment before staring at the wall.

"I need to think about it," Forge finally told him. Duke nodded his head, having been informed in his briefing that the man probably wouldn't instantly agree to something. Again, as Nick Fury had told him, Forge would balk if he was pushed into a corner. It was better to give him a little breathing room if you wanted him to cooperate.

"I'll need an answer by tomorrow," he told him. "I'll call at 1300 for an answer, that way you have twenty-four hours to think it over." Duke shook hands with him and thanked him for his time. Forge walked them down to the front door and out to the car. Cyclops elected to stay behind while the other two got in the car, apparently having other things to discuss with the man.

Duke watched the review mirror as they drove away. Cyclops waved goodbye to them, but Forge had already walked back into his home. The sergeant thought over their conversation and realized that he honestly wasn't sure if the mutant would agree to help or not.

"Do you think we hooked him?" he asked Stark, who was driving.

"Well, he didn't outright reject you," the other man told him. Stark slowed to a stop as the traffic light changed to red. The Avenger drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to change again.

"The fact that Forge is willing to think about it is a good sign," Tony Stark explained. "He's not the kind of guy that will jump into something without thinking about it first.

"But…do you think he'll say yes?" Duke asked. He wanted Forge. The man had excellent service record and his mutation was very useful. Even his magical skills might come in handy, though Fury had warned them that Forge usually refused to use his magic unless he didn't have a choice.

"Honestly?" Stark asked. "I don't know. I've known Forge for several years and he's one of the most stubborn people I know. He's got a mind of his own and he's got some issues, though that's probably because he spends more time with machines than he does with people. His social skills aren't near as bad as Beach's, but, well…" Stark trailed off and didn't say anything else.

Again, Duke thought back to the military records. Forge seemed to have suffered from depression after the war and had seen several army psychiatrists. Psyche Out had guessed, based on talks with Fury and Xavier, that the man had probably developed PTSD…which had gone untreated since it was only starting to be recognized after the Vietnam War.

They wouldn't know for sure of course, until Psyche Out evaluated the mutant. At least, if Forge agreed to work for them.

"You can always count on Forge to do the right thing," Tony Stark told him. "He may drag his feet or bitch a little sometimes, but once he learns that he can trust you, he'll have your back."

---

The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

Scarlett sipped on a glass of cold sweet tea. Thanks to the likes of Gambit and Rogue, the X-Men kept a regular supply of typically Southern fare. The recent additions of an Alabama and Georgia native had increased the demands for things like sweet tea and grits. The overall addition of four more Joes, as well as visiting ones, had increased the need for other supplies as well.

All of this could perhaps be blamed on the current situation brewing in the X-Men's kitchen.

"Rogue, for the last time, the answer is no!" An irritated Jean Grey brandished a spatula at the third woman in the room. The youngest woman, a brunette with a white streak of hair, ducked behind an open doorway.

"But Ah just wanna taste!" the Southern belle whined, peeking around the corner.

"I said no!"

The red haired Joe smirked as she listened to the other two women argue back and forth. Jean Grey had invited her into the kitchen for some company while she made pie. However, a couple of persistent X-Men had caught wind of the cooking project and were attempting to infiltrate the process. Grey had already kicked the young Jubilee out.

Rogue was still refusing to leave.

"Come on Jean," Rogue persisted, inching her way around the kitchen table. "Just leave me have a taste, gal, and Ah'll go."

Various kitchen objects and utensils levitated into the air. Rogue took one look at the irritated red head and scrambled out of the kitchen. Scarlett shook her head in amusement. As even headed as Jean Grey was, she was a bit surprised by the display of temper. She reflected upon her own experience with the matriarchal cooks of her own family, plus Roadblock, and came to the conclusion that even the calmest of people became raging terrors when their kitchen "territory" was invaded.

"They do this all the time," Jean Grey told her, still a little irked. "Gambit will be in here next. He's the one we really have to watch out for."

"Actually, that would be Beach," Scarlett grinned. "He loves pie."

The other woman froze slightly and let out a string of curses. Scarlett snickered slightly, too amused by the situation to do anything else.

"You're supposed to be one of the most powerful mutants, what's the problem?" she asked. Jean glared at her before sighing. The red haired carefully measured out sliced apples and placed them in a bowl.

"Gambit's immune to telepathic scans…and I'm not going to spend my entire day carrying around pie," she grumbled. "I usually have Logan do guard duty, but he's not here."

"You could always hire a ninja," Scarlett suggested. "Roadblock's got a deal with them. Whenever he's cooking, one of them does kitchen guard duty in exchange for snacking privileges."

"Maybe," the other woman answered. She continued to mix together ingredients. The woman appeared to be making two different types of fruit pie.

"You need any help?" Scarlett offered.

"I'm fine," Jean replied. "Thanks for asking though. You're a guest here, so just relax."

Scarlett shrugged and continued to sip on her tea. Elsewhere in the mansion, she knew that Snake Eyes was training with Kamakura and Jinx in the Danger Room again. Her fiancée had decided to get as much use out of it as possible before they had to leave.

There was soft sound of movement near the door. Out of the corner of her eyes, Scarlett saw a hulking, male figure pause in hesitation.

"Is it safe to come in?" the man asked carefully. He had a slight Russian accent. The Joe searched her memory and finally remembered that his name was Colossus. Considering his huge frame, it was a fitting name.

"Yes," Jean said a bit testily. After a moment, she spoke again, though this time in an apologetic tone.

"Sorry Piotr," she said. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

The large Russian shrugged his massive shoulders and accepted the apology with gentle humility. He made a point of saying good afternoon to Scarlett, who responded with a smile of her own. The man watched Jean work for a moment before turning to the soldier.

"Jean's usually not like this," the Russian explained. "She gets a little…testy in the kitchen sometimes. We found out the hard way that she and Gambit can't cooperate together. They're no longer allowed to cook in the kitchen at the same time anymore."

"It was his fault," Jean Grey replied, banging a slab of dough against the counter. "It's not my fault he can't cook properly." Scarlett must have had a puzzled look on her face, as Colossus rushed to explain.

"They tried to cook Thanksgiving dinner together a few years ago," Colossus said. "It didn't turn out too well."

"It was his fault!" the woman repeated. Scarlett watched her for a moment before looking up at the tall man.

"Sooo," Shana said slowly. "Gambit is a taboo word when Jean's in the kitchen. Got it."

Colossus chuckled at that. The Russian poured himself a glass of water and left the two women to themselves. After a while, Jean began to loosen up when it became apparent that there would be no other infiltration attempts. The two women chatted back and forth and the conversation quickly steered into a conversation about their significant others.

"He left you a week before the wedding?" Jean Grey asked, astonished. Scarlett shrugged uncomfortably. It had taken her a long time to forgive Snake Eyes for it, but she understood that he'd been devastated by Ophelia's death. After the death of his first apprentice, he had been reluctant to take on his godson as one.

"We've gotten past it," she explained. "Well…my family hasn't completely yet," Scarlett amended. "My oldest brother is still holding a grudge."

"And Siobhan?" Jean asked carefully, reading her mind. Scarlett froze. Her sister was always a touchy subject. Shana didn't really know how to approach the other woman, who seemed to grow more and more distant as the years went on.

"Sorry," the mutant apologized. "I shouldn't have pried."

"It's okay," Scarlett told her. "As my uncle always tells me, 'You have to love your family, but you don't have to like them'." Jean nodded her head and didn't say anything else. An awkward silence settled over the room and Shana wondered if she should leave or stay. The realization that Grey knew every thought going through her mind was a little unsettling, but the soldier forced herself to ignore it.

"It's difficult," Jean said after a moment. "Having abilities like mine. I have to keep myself in check all the time." Shana nodded, but didn't say anything. As she had no powers herself, there wasn't exactly any way that she could imagine what Grey, Beach Head, or even Lifeline had to deal with.

Her ears picked up new movement by the door, though so slight that she almost didn't catch it. No one walked in, but Scarlett knew through her ninja training that someone was making a very good attempt to stay silent and not get caught.

"There's someone hiding by the door," she pointed out, as Jean Grey hadn't reacted to the presence. The red head frowned and stalked over to the kitchen doorway. There was a squawk, followed by Cajun cursing. Scarlett smirked to herself while Jean yelled at the latest intruder.

"That's it," Jean Grey fumed, walking back into the kitchen. She popped two of the pies into the oven and waited impatiently for something. Within a minute, there was a poof and a smell of sulfur as two men teleported into the kitchen.

"What's the matter, Jean?" Nightcrawler asked. A bemused Banshee stood next to him, scratching his head. Jean pointed a spoon at the two men.

"Sean, Kurt…Logan's not here so you two are on pie guarding duty," the woman demanded. The two men grinned at each other and settled self-importantly into a couple of chairs. Banshee moved his chair into a strategic part of the kitchen where he could see everything, while Nighcrawler perched himself next to the door.

"I still think you should hire a ninja," Scarlett repeated. She highly doubted that the two men would be enough to stop a determined Beach Head, let alone any of the X-Men who'd been trying to get in.

"I think they'll be enough," the other woman said confidently. Scarlett decided not to respond to that. She smirked to herself as drained the rest of her tea and set the glass in the sink. If Grey wanted to live in a delusional fantasy world, a certain ranger was sure to shatter that fiction pretty damn quick.

"It's not a delusional fantasy!" Jean Grey retorted.

"Uh huh," Scarlett said dryly. The red head waved goodbye and exited the kitchen. She warred with the sudden thought in her head and repeatedly pushed it down. After all, it wouldn't do to have one of the strongest mutants on the planet after her hide.

But because she was Shana O'Hara, who was engaged to a ninja and fought snake themed terrorists as part of her job description, dealing with an angry Jean Grey was only one more aspect of her already danger filled life.

She found Beach Head in the library with his head in a book.

"Just to let you know," Scarlett told him innocently. "There's pie in the kitchen."

A surprised look crossed the man's face, followed by an expression of hopeful blissfulness. Scarlett laughed all the way back to her room. Jean Grey thought that two X-Men were enough of a defensive security measure? Hah!

---

Wayne Sneeden was half sure that Scarlett had been pulling his leg. He knew she'd been telling the truth about pie, but it had also been obvious that there was some sort of catch. The ranger was proven correct when he attempted to enter the kitchen and was immediately stopped by an Errol Flynn wannabe.

"Sorry," Nightcrawler said, flicking his epee at the air. "Jean said that no one's allowed to touch the pie without her permission."

"How the hell did you get that sword back?" Beach Head growled at him. "I thought Summers confiscated it."

"Jean let me have it back," the German replied. Wayne scowled slightly when he read the man's mind. Apparently the two men in the kitchen had been hired on as kitchen guards, much as the ninja usually were back at the Pit.

"If she made them for everyone, why can't I have a bite now?" he asked, growing more irritated. All he wanted was one little piece…okay, more than that, but at least a piece. It wasn't as if Grey was planning to give them up to charity or anything.

"Nope, sorry," Kurt grinned, bringing the hilt of the sword to his heart. "Guarding the pie is a sacred duty, entrusted to us. As gentlemen, it is our chivalric duty to carry out Jean's wishes."

Beach Head glared at him for a moment before spinning around on his heels and stalking out. Since Jean Grey was one of his instructors, he wasn't going to piss off the woman by taking some of her pie, tempting though it was. However, he had half a mind to turn back and challenge Nightcrawler and Banshee, just for the audacity of them thinking that they could stop him.

"Psst…Beach."

The ranger came to a halt when he heard Gambit whisper. He looked around him and saw a hand waving out from inside a storage closet. Remy LeBeau poked his head around the door and held a finger to his lips. The Cajun motioned towards the closet. Beach Head hesitated a moment before giving in to curiosity.

"What?" Wayne whispered after poking his head inside the closet. Gambit grinned at him and motioned him to come in, but the ranger refused. If anything, his claustrophobia had worsened slightly after being buried alive twice during the fight at the Pit. The grin slipped on the other man's face when he suddenly realized what the problem was.

Remy LeBeau quietly slipped out of the closet and led the ranger through the mansion. They finally came to the stairs leading up to the attic. Wayne followed after him, hoping that it wouldn't be too cramped. The attic ended up being larger than he'd thought, but he still felt a little uncomfortable crouching among the assorted pile of boxes.

"You heard about the pie too, huh?" Gambit finally asked quietly. "Jean's not letting any of us in." Beach Head snorted and crossed his arms. It really wasn't fair. There had been four unbaked pies sitting on the counter, with at least one more in the oven.

"What's the point in making pie if no one can eat it?" he drawled quietly. Granted, none of them were technically done yet, but that was beside the point. Beach Head fumed quietly to himself until a thought occurred to him.

"What're you up to?" he asked suspiciously. The grin on Gambit's face widened.

"Not much," the man answered innocently, "Remy's just in the middle of a delicate operation." Beach Head stared at him for a moment before he realized what the 'delicate operation' was.

"You're going to steal the pie?" Wayne asked. His lips twitched up into the beginnings of a grin.

"Yup," Gambit replied. "In fact, yours truly is the reason Jeannie has someone guard whatever she bakes. Usually it's Logan, but since he's not here, sneaking in there should be as easy as pie."

Beach Head groaned at the horrible joke. The Cajun seemed rather proud of himself for slipping the idiom in about a venture actually involving pie. Wayne told him that the joke was stupid and earned a kick to his shin. There was a minor scuffle before the two of them drew a truce.

"You didn't happen to see what kind of pie she was making, did you?" Gambit asked, rubbing a new sore spot on his head. "Ah thought Ah saw apple, but Ah wasn't sure."

"Apple and strawberry," Wayne replied. The other man perked up at the news. A crafty look crossed his face and Beach Head was reasonably sure that the Cajun was plotting to steal one of each kind.

"You're really going to steal her pie, even though she said no?" Beach Head asked. It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, of course, but he wasn't going to touch something Jean had made without her permission. Besides, he really didn't feel like he'd been with the X-Men long enough to be pulling stupid, greenshirt-like stunts.

"Well, Gambit was going to ask you to help and split the pie," Remy LeBeau said, "But if you're going to wuss out, that's fine too. This way Remy can get a whole pie to himself."

"Ah didn't say no," the ranger retorted irritably. "Ah just don't want to be on Grey's bad side." Gambit gave a snort and waved it off. The former thief had no such compunctions about the deed he was planning.

"She's made plenty of pie, she won't miss one," the Cajun pointed out. "Besides, this'll teach her and the other two to stay on their toes." Beach Head rubbed his chin as he considered that. It was an interesting challenge. Sneaking in to steal pie, made by an omega level mutant, currently being guarded by a former Interpol agent and sword wielding German? The ranger was pretty sure that the two men, plus Grey, needed a few lessons in staying alert.

"Hmm," Wayne mused, slowly warming to the idea. The grin on Gambit's face widened. The Cajun poked him in the side, as if trying to force him to make up his mind more quickly.

"Come on grumpy," the other mutant urged. "Think of it as training. Besides…it's fresh, homemade pie." Beach Head swatted at him and the younger man stopped poking him long enough to defend himself.

"Okay, fine," Wayne finally agreed. He received a thumbs up sign and the two men began to plot. A few minutes into their planning, however, the door to the attic suddenly ripped open. Two female heads popped up and stared at them.

"What in the dang heck are you boys up to?" Rogue asked. "What're you two doing, making out?" Both men erupted into indignant hollering and the woman burst into laughter. Wayne nearly smacked his head when he saw that Cover Girl was next to the mutant woman.

"I don't know," Cover Girl smiled. "It looks pretty suspicious."

"Shut up Barbie doll," Beach Head fumed. "It ain't what it looks like. As if I'd turn gay for this pain in the ass."

"Hopefully not a pain in your ass," Gambit replied cheekily. "Cause Gambit don't swing that way." The ranger gaped at him as the two women broke into peals of laughter. He swore incoherently before finally throwing his hands into the air.

"Did you just…Gawd! Just stop talking!" Beach Head raged. "And you two…" he added, pointing at the women. "It ain't funny!"

Rogue gasped for breath while she rolled on the attic floor. Cover Girl hung on to the door while tears dripped down her face. No amount of threatening made either of them shut up. It took several minutes for the laughter to finally die down.

"You two done yet?" Wayne drawled icily. The two women nodded, before looking at each other and breaking into laughter again. Beach Head bellowed at them to shut up, which earned him a couple of huffs and one set of glaring.

"Fine, we'll just get going," Courtney Kreiger replied hotly. "If you don't want us around, fine." The tank driver climbed down the attic stairwell, with Rogue following after her. Beach Head gave a vexed sigh before taking after the two women. He stuck his head through the door to stare after them.

"Wait…Courtney!" the ranger shouted. "Ah didn't mean…"

Cover Girl ignored him as she continued on her way. The other woman didn't spare him a glance either as they disappeared down the hallway. Now feeling intensely stupid, Wayne Sneeden rubbed his forehead and wondered what he'd done wrong. After all, they had been the ones laughing at him.

"You've got a way with women, mon ami," Gambit said, watching the women leave. Beach Head turned a glare on him and the man shrugged. "Just saying," he added.

"Shut up, I know," Beach Head growled. "Every time I talk to her, I always manage to say the wrong thing." Now feeling thoroughly depressed with himself, the ranger lost interest in the pie theft. He sighed and climbed down from the attic. Remy LeBeau stared after him with a puzzled expression on his face.

"You like her," the other man suddenly said, jumping down to join him. Wayne ignored him and strode away, not in the mood to deal with the Cajun. However, Remy LeBeau wasn't to be deterred. The man followed after him until Beach Head finally spun around to glare at him.

"What do you want?" he barked. The Cajun stood his ground and glared back.

"Running away's not going to help," Gambit said. Beach Head fumed at him for a moment before trying to walk away from him.

"Running away's what I'm good at," Wayne muttered under his breath. He didn't see the other man freeze for a long moment. Gambit stared after him before asking him to repeat what he'd said.

"I said I'm good at running away, happy?" Beach Head snapped. The frustrations that he'd long sought to keep buried began to bubble to the surface. The ranger fought against them as well as he could, but he couldn't stop the tidal wave that finally broke.

"Yeah, how do you like hearing that?" he continued, waving his arms at the eerily silent Remy LeBeau. "Big, bad smelly Beach Head, just a dumb hick that's only good at fighting and yelling! I ran away from the kids who beat on me in school, I nearly ran away from home when I realized I was a mutant, and then I ran away from myself!"

He felt his shoulders slump after his outburst. Gambit didn't say anything and Beach Head looked away.

"Ah'm just a damn coward," he muttered, his accent thickening. "Ah was afraid of what my teammates would think if they knew what Ah was. Afraid that Ah'd be ripped away from the only life Ah knew and loved. Now Ah'm afraid that the Jugglers are going to take Lifeline, Short Fuze, and Ah away. Ah can't even stand in a closet without freaking out cause of mah damn claustrophobia," he added miserably.

"You're not a coward," Gambit finally said.

"Hell, Ah can't even talk to a woman Ah love cause Ah'm a total screw up!" he continued, not even hearing the Cajun. There was a sharp stab of pain when a fist connected with his shoulder. Beach Head rubbed at the new sore spot and glared at the other man.

"What the hell was that for?" he growled. A pair of red eyes flashed angrily at him and Wayne stepped back in surprise.

"You're not a coward," Remy LeBeau repeated sharply. "And you're not a screw up. You think you'd have been allowed into GI Joe if you were?"

"They didn't know," the ranger repeated stubbornly. "Ah did a damn good job of hidi..."

"Just shut up Wayne and let me talk," the Cajun ordered. Beach Head stared at him, completely surprised that the man had actually used his first name.

"First of all, Storm's got claustrophobia and she's the toughest person Gambit knows," Remy LeBeau pointed out. "And you don't think she's a coward, do you? You want me to tell Ro dat you think she's a coward?"

"She's not a coward," Beach Head replied sullenly. "Hell, how could you think that I think that?"

"Shut up, Remy ain't done yet," the other man told him. The ranger crossed his arms and glowered silently at the smaller man.

"Second of all, we've all had problems with being mutants," Gambit added. "At least you weren't born with red eyes. You think Ah like walking around with a blaring neon sign dat says 'mutant'? Try growin' up with dat."

"Ah didn't mean…" Beach Head protested, but the Cajun cut him off.

"You had the luxury of hiding, Remy didn't have a choice," Gambit pointed out. "Ah don't know if dat was a good or bad thing. Gambit had to learn early on to be proud of himself and to deal with being open about being a mutant. That also meant that Ah didn't have to deal with the pressure of feelin' alone and bein' scared that someone would find out."

Beach Head didn't say anything. Now feeling completely stupid and childish, he stared at the floor. The Cajun was right; he'd at least had the option of staying silent about his mutation. People like Gambit and Beast hadn't had any choice. He heard the other man sigh and mutter something under his breath.

"Remy ain't tryin' to put you down," Gambit told him carefully. "But you're not a coward. Considerin' the situation you've been in, you've done the best you can. If you'd told anyone that you were a mutant, you probably would have been kicked out of the military. Hell, it's a miracle that you haven't been yet."

"The Jugglers would prefer it," the ranger muttered.

"Remy ain't got no idea who the 'Jugglers' are," Gambit admitted. "But General Hawk and Nick Fury have your back. They ain't gonna let anything happen to you, not without a fight. You've even got the Avengers and X-Men on your side." The Cajun paused a moment before adding quietly, "You ain't alone."

"Ah wish Ah would have done things differently," Wayne finally admitted. "Ah should have told Hawk years ago, or Lifeline. Ah should have trusted someone. Gawd only knows how lonely Ed's felt with all that power he has. His old man kicked him out of the house for being a mutant."

"We've all got things we regret," Gambit told him quietly. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "There's….things Remy did that he shouldn't have. There's…." he hesitated again before going on. "Ah…made a mistake of associating with someone Ah shouldn't have…did some things that still give me nightmares," the Cajun admitted. "But we can't change the things we've done, none of us can."

The man had a point. Lord help him, but the man had a point. He'd already been told repeatedly by Lifeline and Psyche Out that he wasn't a coward. If even LeBeau was telling him that, then maybe they weren't completely wrong. Even so, Wayne couldn't help but continue to feel ashamed of himself.

"You know why I wear a mask?" he asked quietly. "The real reason?" The other man shook his head.

"In case I ever got a secondary mutation," Beach Head admitted. "That way I'd have a better chance of hiding it." Of course, there was also the psychological factor as well. He knew that it terrified his targets when they could only see his eyes and not the rest of his face.

"Then stop wearing it," Gambit said. "No one's forcing you…either that, or change the reason you're wearing it."

Beach Head didn't answer. To tell the truth, he felt extremely awkward for having lost control and admitting his fears to LeBeau. Lifeline knew or shared most of his anxieties and the ranger had admitted them as best as he could to the medic. This was the first time that he'd ever told them to someone else.

He wasn't entirely happy that that person was Remy LeBeau.

"Gambit thinks this situation calls for pie," the Cajun finally said. Beach Head raised an eyebrow. All of this, and the man wanted to forget about it and go back to his original plan?

"What?" he asked. Gambit jerked his thumb towards the general direction of the kitchen.

"Pie's the cure for all ills," the X-Man explained. "Plus there're two schmucks that need a lesson in humility."

"Suppose so," Wayne replied. Pie would be rather nice at the moment, especially if there was ice cream involved. Pulling the wool over Banshee and Nightcrawler's eyes would also be pretty satisfying.

"Suppose so?" Gambit asked, "You mean 'of course, let's do it Gambit. Let's go get some free pie and steal Kurt's sword.'" Beach Head felt his lips twitch slightly at the thought. Seeing as he'd been poked with the said sword earlier in the week, he had no qualms about stealing and hiding it.

"Ice cream too," he finally said. The Cajun slapped him on the shoulder and began to walk in the direction of the kitchen.

"Now you're talking," Gambit said over his shoulder. "And maybe when we're done humiliating Sean and Kurt, we can figure out what to do about your lack of dating skills."

Beach Head didn't argue with that, as he acknowledged the fact that his social skills weren't very good on any day of the week. They somehow seemed to get worse when Cover Girl was involved. He figured that he needed all the help he could get.

As it turned out, stealing the pie did in fact turn out to be 'as easy as pie.' A simple empathic message sent both Nightcrawler and Banshee into a deep sleep. He and a certain Cajun snickered as they swiped a warm apple pie, ice cream, plates, spoons, a couple cans of Dr. Pepper, and Kurt Wagner's prized epee sword.

When the two men woke up a few minutes later, a smirking Beach Head felt the dismay and humiliation from their hiding spot from the opposite end of the mansion.

---

Jean Grey looked up when a 'bamft' noise alerted her to a new presence. A German mutant fidgeted nervously while she read his mind. The embarrassment on his face was enough to tell her that things hadn't gone well in the kitchen.

"You what?" she asked.

"They got a pie," Nightcrawler admitted sheepishly. "I'm not sure who. One moment we were both awake and the next moment we were both waking up. My sword's gone too."

The red head fumed as she telepathically searched the mansion. Gambit, of course, was immune to the mental scan. After a second scan, she realized that Beach Head was hiding his mental signature from her. Once she found him, it would be relatively easy to break his telepathic block that was keeping her out.

She just had to find him first. The ranger had turned out to be irritatingly good at hiding himself from other telepaths, even if his others skills weren't as strong as hers, Cable's, or the professor's.

"Alas," Nightcrawler moaned dramatically. "We have failed in our chivalric duty. And they took my sword!"

Annoyed, Jean Grey stretched her mind out and searched for her new target. She phased her body through the floor and floated up to the mansion's roof. Two Joes looked at her in shock. A red haired woman seemed rather displeased to have been interrupted in her attempts to remove a certain ninja's shirt.

"What do you want?" Scarlett demanded.

"You," Jean pointed at Snake Eyes. "Down in the kitchen."

"What?" she heard the man think.

"Pie got stolen, did it?" Scarlett smirked. "Was it Beach Head?" The smug woman seemed supremely pleased by the thought. Jean Grey chose not to acknowledge the fact that she'd guessed correctly. Instead, she grabbed the ninja and phased them both through the roof. An irritated Scarlett yelled after them.

Jean floated down into the kitchen and deposited the now confused ninja into a chair. She pointed at the remaining pies. A nervous looking Banshee backed away from her and took refuge behind the refrigerator.

"Banshee, you're fired," she snapped. "You," she ordered, pointing at the ninja. "Guard these pies. Don't let anyone take them or touch them. If Beach Head or Gambit show up, let me know immediately."

"Do I get a choice?" the man asked her. Jean told him no and left the kitchen. Completely infuriated now, she went on a ranger hunt. No matter where she looked, she could find no trace of the man either physically or telepathically.

She finally gave up an hour later.

---

A New York City mall

"Just let it go gal, ain't nothin' to worry your pretty little head over."

Courtney Kreiger looked over at the other woman. A streak of silvery, white stood out against the dark brown of her hair. The tank driver sighed and looked down at the green and blue blouse in her hands. Had it been anyone else, she would have taken issue with the words "worry your pretty little head"…especially if that person had been male.

"I can't help it Rogue," she sighed. "I shouldn't have lost my temper. He was trying to apologize and we were laughing at him."

"If Beach can't take a joke, then that's his problem," the other woman said. The two women were currently standing in a section of Macy's, looking at the newest line of fall clothing.

"He's really not that bad," Cover Girl told her. "Once you get past the thorns, he's a great guy." She expected the woman to disagree with her, as most people did. However, the X-Man actually smiled and winked at her.

"In my experience, the grumpiest guys are usually the biggest softies," Rogue grinned. "Ah know he's not a complete lunatic…not any more than Remy is anyway."

The tank driver decided that the blouse wasn't for her and put it back on the rack. She rifled through the rest of the clothing before pulling out an attractive button down shirt. Courtney held it up to herself and showed it to the other woman.

"What do you think?" she asked. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Honey, a trash sack would look great on you," the mutant replied. "You are a former model."

"And I'm glad I'm not anymore," Courtney told her. She decided that the shirt was worth trying on and threw it in their cart. After another ten minutes or so, the women began to wheel the full cart towards the dressing rooms.

"It's just…I'm not sure if Beach is interested in me or not," Cover Girl explained. "I'm not sure what to do with him. We argue nearly every time we're together."

Which was part of the charm, she supposed. Beach Head wouldn't roll over for her and certainly wasn't a doormat for her to step on. That was part of the problem she'd had with Shipwreck, she realized. In addition to him being a blatant womanizer, he was just boring. When she sniped at him, he took it like a rag doll. He lacked the fiery spark that she found so endearing in a certain ranger.

"Ah've seen the way he looks at you," Rogue reassured her. "And Jean's been in his mind, so she knows that it's mutual." Courtney stopped pushing the cart to stare at her.

"She told you that?" she asked. The other woman nodded. Courtney considered that as they finally arrived at the dressing rooms. If the feeling was mutual, then surely there was a way they could work things out? Granted, they were both stubborn, temperamental people….

But she really wanted it to work. Damn it all to hell, but she did love that ranger. She'd fought it throughout the years and tried to bury it, but the man had found a way to bury himself into her heart and stake out a place that he refused to leave. Typical ranger.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" Rogue asked her when they finished. The two women had stopped to get ice cream after their shopping spree. Courtney was rather pleased with the new pair of shoes and several outfits that she'd found. She didn't often get a chance to mall shop with a fellow female these days.

"I guess I could do that," Cover Girl replied. As it was, she only had a couple of more days at the Avenger compound before her group was rotated back to SHIELD headquarters. The thought made her a little sad, as she'd come to enjoy spending time with the Southern belle.

"How are things at the Avengers?" Rogue asked, dipping her spoon into a banana split. "Is Hawkeye still giving you trouble?"

"Nope," the tank driver replied. "I put him in a headlock and threatened to castrate him. That cleared up things pretty quick." Rogue snickered at the image. The archer had made several unwanted passes at the beautiful Joe and hadn't quite wanted to take "I'm not interested" as an answer. Hawkeye had finally come to the conclusion that some women really weren't interested in him after she bruised his ego and his ass.

"So…uh…" Cover Girl stuttered, not knowing how to ask the question she wanted to ask. Finally, she just blurted it out. "Are you and Gambit together?" She felt really awkward asking it, as Rogue had already told her that her powers prevented her from having a physical relationship with anyone.

"Kind of," Rogue smiled sadly. Courtney felt bad for bringing it up and apologized. She couldn't imagine going through life without out being able to touch someone. Trying to be in a romantic relationship and not be able to kiss or hug, let alone have sex? She felt a stab of pity for her new friend.

"Don't worry about it, Sugah," the mutant said. "Ah'm dealing with it the best Ah can. Someday Ah'll be able to touch people again, Ah've got to believe that."

"You will," Cover Girl told her. "Don't lose hope. Once you lose that, then everything's lost."

"Don't Ah know it," Rogue admitted. Both women turned their heads when they heard shouting. Men and women ran towards the east end of the mall. They looked at each other and abandoned their ice cream. Cover Girl stepped outside of the shop and saw small mob growing just outside of a Toys R' Us store.

"Get the mutie!" voices shouted. Courtney felt her blood chill when she realized what was going on. Beside her, Rogue had frozen as still as a statue. The woman bit her lip before floating up into the air and landing in the middle of the mob. Courtney followed after and pushed her way through the crowd of people.

"Ya'll buncha no good Yanks go on home!" Rogue shouted at them. Angry voices jeered at the woman and Cover Girl felt herself get shoved into another person. She eventually fought her way free and made it through to the center of the mob.

A terrified, bloodied little girl stood shaking behind the enraged Southerner. Cover Girl could easily tell that she was a mutant. The child, who looked to be about eight or nine, had greenish-grey scaly skin. Feathery bits of dark green hair floated about her head.

"Ah said go on!" Rogue shouted. "What kinda sick person attacks a kid?"

"That thing ain't a kid!" Someone in the crowd shouted. Cover Girl felt her blood boil as she crouched down next to the terrified child. The girl looked at her and then back at the growing crowd.

"Hey, it's another woman!" a man shouted. "She must be a mutie too!"

"I'm not a mutant!" Cover Girl snapped. "And what the hell does it matter if I am or not? You people make me sick!"

"Damn mutie lover, stick with your own kind!"

"That thing ain't a kid!" a voice repeated.

Physically shaking from rage now, Cover Girl resisted the urge to pull out her hidden side arm and fire on the band of bigots. Instead, she gently picked the child up and looked at Rogue. The other woman was staring murderously around at the crowd.

"Let's get out of here," Cover Girl muttered. "They're not going to change their minds and I doubt the professor wants you to put them all in the hospital."

"Ah'd like to," the woman muttered. However, Rogue picked the two of them up and flew back towards the ice cream shop. Within minutes, they were back by Rogue's car. Cover Girl put their bags in the trunk while Rogue checked the girl over for injuries.

"Where are your parents?" the X-Man asked.

"Don't have any," the girl muttered. Rogue continued to question the girl about what had happened. They eventually realized that she was a member of some group called the Morlocks, which Cover Girl had never heard of.

"So you're one of Callisto's bunch, huh?" Rogue sighed, patting the girl with her gloved hand. The child nodded.

"You know who Storm is?" the X-Man asked. The girl nodded again. Cover Girl wondered what Storm had to do with any of it. She wouldn't find out until later that Ororo Munroe was the actual leader of the Morlocks.

"What were you doing in the mall?" Cover Girl finally asked, having kept silent up to this point. "You had to know that you might get caught." The girl's bottom lip trembled slightly as she fought back tears.

"I just wanted a toy," the girl finally sniffed. "I don't have any."

Courtney felt tears in her own eyes as she hugged the child. The girl buried her face in the soldier's shirt and began to cry. Cover Girl rubbed the child's back and waited for her to calm down.

"If you want a toy, I'll get you a toy," Cover Girl promised. "What's your name?"

"Lashanda."

"Well Lashanda," Rogue said. "Why don't you come back to the school with us? I'm one of the X-Men. After we treat your injuries, we'll get you back home, okay?" The girl nodded, not saying anything. Courtney lifted her up and placed her in the red convertible. Rogue climbed into the driver's seat and for once, Cover Girl didn't demand that she be allowed to drive.

It was a silent drive back to the mansion.

---

The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

Short Fuze listened to the conversation that was taking place near him. The blonde soldier stood awkwardly in the back of the living room while Cover Girl and Rogue related the incident at the mall to the small gathering of Joes and X-Men. A young girl was curled up on the couch next to the tank driver, who had a protective arm slung around her. A stunned looking Beach Head hovered near the woman.

"I'm glad the two of you were there," Professor Xavier sighed. "Who knows what may have happened to the child."

"I've contacted Callisto," Storm said. "She's one of several abandoned children that the Morlocks are taking care of."

"She should stay here tonight," Short Fuze heard the professor say. "We'll take her back home tomorrow."

The conversation continued for a while before finally dying down. Jean Grey led the girl away, but the rest of the adults stayed where they were. Short Fuze moved a little closer towards the others. Personally, he wasn't sure what to think. The mob attack shocked him by its viciousness. What hit him more, though, was the guilt.

He didn't have any physical mutations. Hell, he hadn't even known he was a mutant until a week ago. How was it that he'd gotten away with that, when others couldn't even hide what they were? For the first time, Short Fuze realized that even within mutantkind there was still a bit of a separation between those that looked like mutants, and those that didn't.

How had he lucked out to have a normal childhood, when others like the girl got ganged up on just for looking different?

"I'm going to go back out," Cover Girl said after a while, breaking the silence that had descended on the room. "All she'd wanted was a toy. I promised to buy her one."

"Ah'll go with you," Beach Head volunteered. The ranger looked a little embarrassed when everyone looked at him. "It's just…Ah know what it's like not to have any toys," he explained awkwardly. "If the kid doesn't have any, the others probably don't either."

"Sounds good," the tank driver said. "When do you want to leave?"

"We can go now," Beach Head replied. Before the two Joes left, several people began to empty out their wallets and pass cash over to them. Wanting to contribute in some way, Short Fuze handed over a couple of tens, being all the cash he currently had on him. The ranger carefully counted and pocketed the money. He and Cover Girl said goodbye and left the mansion.

"Did you have to go through things like that, Nightcrawler?" Kamakura asked hesitantly. The German mutant sat silently in his armchair. Kurt Wagner nodded. He didn't elaborate and no one asked him for details. Again, Short Fuze felt a stab of guilt.

"It's not your fault," Charles Xavier said in his mind. "You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty."

But he did. Short Fuze knew he was lucky to have gone through his life without facing any kind of persecution. He'd always been rather neutral towards mutant issues, neither hating mutants nor being concerned about the problems they faced.

Now he could no longer be apathetic. Mutant issues concerned him whether he liked it or not. The fact that it was the realization that he was a mutant that had actually made him care, well, he had a lot of reasons to feel guilty.

He heard Charles Xavier sigh. A wheelchair moved forward and stopped next to him. Short Fuze looked at the man, who only studied him silently for a few seconds.

"Follow me, child," the man said. Eric Friestadt followed after the professor. Neither man spoke until they were outside on the front lawn of the mansion. Bright colors of red, orange, and yellow painted the sky as the sun began to set. Nearby, they heard the roar of an engine as Cover Girl and Beach Head sped down the road in a borrowed car.

"Professor, I…." Short Fuze trailed off. He wasn't sure where to begin. The past week had been one of struggle for him. Accepting his mutation had been difficult. Trying to come to terms with that mutation and a societal hatred of mutants that he had largely ignored was another. Adding to that was his continued uneasiness of not feeling like he really fit in with the other mutants at the school.

"Eric, I've had an entire lifetime of trying to adjust to all of this," Charles Xavier told him. "Even now, I haven't gotten used to it. In fact, I refuse to."

"You're a better person than me," Short Fuze admitted. "I didn't really care about mutant issues before."

"And would I have, if I hadn't been a mutant?" the professor questioned, almost rhetorically. "I like to think that I would have, but I suppose I'll never know the answer." Short Fuze was a little shocked to hear that admission. The man always acted so confident; it was a little reassuring to know that he had as many doubts as anyone else. He supposed, after a moment of thought, that it was probably why the professor had shared it with him.

"I don't really know where I fit in all of this," the soldier admitted. "I don't really feel like I'm a mutant. I mean…" he amended, "Not that it should feel different or anything, but my powers aren't that great. It's not like I can lift buildings or teleport."

"Your abilities, while not as 'flashy' as the others, are valuable gifts," Charles Xavier told him. "Seeing into the future is no small matter. That ability, as well as your clairvoyance, are abilities that some would kill for."

"But I can't control them," Short Fuze protested. "I didn't even realize I had these things." He was an idiot for not realizing any of it. The connections had been there, if he had chosen to see them. Short Fuze sometimes wondered if his subconscious had guessed that something wasn't normal, but had chosen to ignore it and pretend that none of his abilities existed.

"Perhaps you should start keeping a dream diary," the professor suggested. "Many times people with precognition will receive visions in their dreams, even if they don't remember them." Short Fuze thought about that for a while. He supposed it was worth a try. The soldier was a little doubtful that it would work, but he didn't lose anything by doing it.

"Alright," he agreed. The professor nodded at him. They stayed outside for a few more minutes and chatted before Xavier left. Not yet feeling ready to join the others, Short Fuze wandered around the school grounds.

A little over an hour later, the roar of an engine alerted him to the fact that his teammates had returned. A red corvette zoomed up the long driveway and came to a screeching halt in front of the school. Short Fuze trotted over to the car as Beach Head complained loudly about 'crazy ass drivers with no regard for passenger safety.'

"Need any help carrying things?" he asked. The two other Joes shrugged and indicated the open trunk. Several bags of children's books and toys filled the open space. Between the three soldiers, they were able to bring all the bags inside in one trip, though Short Fuze suspected that Beach Head could have easily levitated all of them.

He followed after his teammates until they arrived in the kitchen. Short Fuze put down the bags he was carrying and left them alone. Not knowing what to do with himself, he decided join a few people in the television room. He supposed if Beach Head and Lifeline had managed to adjust to life at the mansion, then he could.

When Iceman and Kitty asked him if he wanted to watch a movie, Short Fuze gratefully accepted.

---

New York City, Lower Manhattan

Several miles away, unaware of the events taking place at the mansion, a bored Lifeline floated next to a man sitting on the side of a skyscraper. Small dots moved below them on the street, testament to how high off the ground they were.

"Cheer up Lifeline," Spiderman told him. "If we're lucky tonight, it'll be a slow night. I could use a break for once."

Lifeline gave a noncommittal grunt. He felt completely ridiculous in the X-Men uniform he was wearing, never having gotten used to it from the other two times he'd worn it. The medic fiddled with the mask over his face and sighed.

"Sorry, next time I won't invite you out," his companion said sourly. Lifeline sighed again. Peter Parker still seemed a little irked at being woken up in the morning as well as by his lack of enthusiasm.

"Sorry Pe…Spiderman," he apologized. "It's just...I'm not a superhero. I don't want to be a superhero. I thought you'd meant something like going to the movies." Lifeline was of the opinion that if someone invited you to do something, it usually didn't entail spandex and masks.

"I said I was sorry," Peter Parker snapped. Lifeline resisted another sigh. As much as the two men got along, it always seemed as though they somehow ended up getting into an argument. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault. Still, how difficult was it to understand that he was a noncombatant?

Several minutes passed and finally Parker broke. The webslinger rubbed his forehead and gave a dark chuckle.

"Sorry Lifeline, I just…I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I had a fight with Mary Jane," the man apologized. "I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

"Don't worry about it," Lifeline reassured him. "I shouldn't have lost my temper this morning and woken you up."

He already felt like too many people were trying to push him into fighting, when he'd already made it clear that he didn't want to fight. The Joes had by now accepted this fact, even if they didn't necessarily like it. A few of the X-Men, as well as Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes, also respected his wishes. However, there were several other Avengers and X-Men that were still trying to push him into a more proactive role. Hawk had also warned him that the Jugglers wanted to use him offensively.

When he'd learned that Peter Parker was expecting him to play superhero, that had been the last straw. Edwin had been certain that Parker at least was respective enough of his wishes. Now he wasn't so sure.

"That doesn't look good," Peter said suddenly. The webslinger jumped to the next building and climbed up for a better view. Lifeline followed after him. His companion was looking at something below them, though Edwin couldn't tell what.

"Your eyes are better than mine," Spiderman told him, pointing below. "Can you tell what that van's doing?" Lifeline followed the direction of the man's finger and spotted a black van parked in a narrow alleyway. The van was surrounded by several men armed with hand guns and assault rifles. He watched as a well-dressed man opened the back of the van and led another inside.

He quietly described the scene to the other man. Edwin tried to listen in, but had a hard time filtering out the honking of vehicles and the various other noises of the city. Finally, he heard snatches of conversation.

"…newest model, Chinese made but works just as well as the original…"

"How much do you want?"

"Fifty thousand up front, but you can pay the rest later in installments."

"Fifty thousand?" one of the men asked. "That's outrageous! I could…"

"What, go buy from Kingpin?" The first man asked, who appeared to be a weapons seller. "You won't get as good a deal as you would from me."

"Well, I've heard enough," Spiderman told him, when he repeated it. "Let's go bust some bad guys."

"Wait, Pe…Spiderman!" Lifeline protested. What the hell was this 'let's go bust some bad guys' business? He wasn't involved! The medic watched as Spiderman gracefully jumped down and landed on top of the van. The men, who Ed guessed to be mafia members, opened fire on the superhero.

Lifeline sighed and floated down. He wasn't going to fight, but he also wasn't going to risk letting Peter get shot. The idea of illegal arms sales also didn't sit well. So, against his better judgment, the medic joined the middle of it. Several bullets ricocheted off of him and one struck one of the men. Feeling upset that he'd inadvertently hurt someone, Lifeline pulled the man out of the line of fire and checked him for injuries.

"He's got Jimmy!" One of the men shouted. Lifeline tried to protest that he was only trying to help, but they didn't seem willing to listen. Meanwhile, Spiderman knocked the rest of them out one by one and glued them to the wall with his webbing. The medic ignored the rest of it, figuring the Peter had it under control. He checked over the dark skinned man, who swore and spit at him.

"Shut up," Lifeline finally ordered him. "You have a bullet in your shoulder. You want me to remove it or not?" The man gaped at him in surprise, apparently not expecting that response. Edwin silently cursed the fact that he hadn't brought much along for medical supplies. He'd packed a basic first aid kit and some bandages in a satchel that he'd brought along, but nothing else.

That would have to be enough. Edwin searched for the bullet and pulled it out with a long pair of tweezers. He disinfected the wound and placed gauze over it. It wasn't enough, but it was good enough until the man was able to get better treatment.

"You done?" Spiderman asked. Lifeline nodded and watched as the superhero picked up the mobster and threw him on some webbing.

"He needs medical attention," Lifeline told him sharply. "What are you…"

"He'll be fine until the police show up," Spiderman responded. "Now let's take a look at what they were selling."

"You can't just…" Edwin continued, not willing to drop it. He didn't care if the man was a criminal; he needed better treatment than Lifeline had been able to give him with his meager supplies.

They both froze in surprise when the van suddenly started. Peter jumped up as the van slammed backward into them. Lifeline instinctively reached out and grabbed the van, preventing it from moving. Wheels spun against the ground, but the vehicle wasn't able to move with the mutant holding on to it.

"There's no one inside," Spiderman told him. "It must be remote control."

"Yeah, well…" Lifeline started to say. He heard an all too familiar click, one that he'd heard many times in his missions as a Joe. The medic shot up in the air and threw the van as high as he could. Heat and shrapnel blew everywhere when a heavy explosion erupted above the New York skyline. Several buildings shook from the strong blast.

"Son of a bitch," Spiderman swore. "If that thing had exploded down here…."

Peter turned around and glared at the men he'd trapped in the webbing. All of them had ashen expressions as they stared at the flaming remnants of the truck.

"Shit…" Their leader swore.

"What was that?" Spiderman demanded. They could hear police sirens ringing through the city as they approached the area.

"I…I don't know…" the man stuttered. "We were selling weapons, new Chinese models. We've been selling them cheaper than Kingpin and have been taking some of his usual customers…."

"You're saying that he might have tried to eliminate the competition?" Spiderman growled. The other man nodded.

"I'm not sure if I believe you," the superhero said.

"He could be telling the truth," Lifeline pointed out.

"Or covering his own ass," Spiderman replied. "I guess we'll have to check it out."

"We?" Lifeline asked. Oh hell no, he wasn't getting involved. He wasn't going to do anything that might possibly contradict his principles. If there was some mafia conspiracy a foot, well, that was for the police to figure out.

"What, don't you want to know who's responsible for that?" Peter asked, puzzled. "That would have killed a lot of people if you hadn't thrown it."

"Of course, but…" Lifeline said. He sighed and trailed off. Okay, so maybe his mutant powers had come in handy and maybe he hadn't actually used them offensively. Even so, he wasn't a detective or a superhero. He was just a combat medic.

"Well, let's go then," Spiderman replied. "I guess we'll have to pay a little visit to my old friend Kingpin."

Lifeline sighed and followed after the webslinger. He supposed he could go back to the mansion, but Peter really seemed to want him involved for some reason. The medic was no Psyche Out, but he wondered if Peter just wanted the company and felt as if he wasn't able to socialize in his free time. If that was the case, then he wasn't going to deny it to the man.

And so, later that night, the reluctant medic found himself embroiled in a turf war between two rival groups of organized crime. He successfully avoided any fighting, although he did use his abilities to protect innocent bystanders from harm. When the sun finally began to peep over the New York City skyline, he and Peter Parker were drinking expressos on top of the Empire State building.

"What do you think Ed? Feel like joining the superhero business?" Peter Parker asked.

"No," Lifeline answered. "And the next time you ask me to go 'out on the town' with you, it had better be a movie."

"Well damn, I tried."

---

Chapter notes:

I provided a bit of Forge's canon backstory for those who weren't that familiar with him and added some of my own embellishments. He was a sergeant in Vietnam and served two tours, with him leading his own unit at least for the second tour. It was never stated that he was a ranger, so that was my addition. Canon does say that Forge caught Nick Fury's eyes because of his high qualifications, and the size of the unit he led in Vietnam appears to have been six men, which is about the size of a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols). I decided make him graduate from Benning with honors, which would definitely have made Fury interested in him. So Marvel may say differently, but as far as I know, all that's been stated is that he was army. In my universe, he was also a ranger.

It was never stated that Forge grew up in Oklahoma. According to his backstory, he grew up on a Cheyenne reservation and he currently lives in Dallas. The two biggest Cheyenne reservations are on the Montana border and in Oklahoma. Since Forge is living in Dallas, I went with the assumption that he would have wanted to continue living in the general region that he'd possibly grown up in.

As for Jean PMSing in the kitchen, that was inspired by the 1990s cartoon. If you want to see the scene it's inspired from, just look up "Gambit + basketball" on YouTube.

I promise that the plot will pick up (and that there is one). The pace will pick up a little more after the Pit gets rebuilt and Beach Head and company's leave ends.

I will publish extra scenes in a separate story called "Et Cetera" (for lack of a better title).