Chapter 152 - The Bender

Over the next several days, Remy had fallen into a pattern of drinking until he passed out, then waking up and repeating the process. He was gone often enough that he wasn't all that worried anyone would notice, either - though that itself was just more fuel on the fire.

To anyone who didn't know what James had told Remy, it looked like he had finally hit a wall after spending so long running after he left Genosha. And that was part of it.

But Mia knew James might have answers, so after she psyched herself up enough to admit she had gone snooping after he warned her off, she figured out how to ask if he knew what had happened to Remy - because she was worried to the point of distraction that something else had gone wrong.

Of course, what ended up happening was that she blurted out everything at once - including her concerns about Remy - and then stood there with her tail in her hands, her eyes wide and her chest heaving.

"I know you went right back," James said before he pulled her over into his very best bear hug. "And I know it blew up in your face. Are you okay?"

Mia shook her head and buried herself in the hug. "I thought I killed him," she said.

"If you had managed to kill that body - which would be tough, he'd just jump into one of his stand by clones," James said. "There was a whole laundry list on why I didn't want you poking around, and I'm sorry I wasn't more clear as to why. I just knew that would have brought everyone in - and at their strongest, everyone couldn't beat this guy."

"So he just gets to do whatever he wants?"

James tipped his head slightly. "Not … entirely. But I do think we're better off knowing what exactly he's into than having him off who knows where doing whatever he likes."

"Maybe." Mia wiped her eyes. "He dropped Remy just for helping me, and … have you seen Remy lately? I know you've been busy… I went to ask him if he wanted to play cards or something and it looks like he drank a liquor cabinet. I don't know what that guy is doing to him, but it's tearing him apart."

"Yeah, I spent some time with him a few days ago," James admitted. "He definitely got some bad news, but I can't … it's his secret to share or not. I don't want to say anything that would upset him. He could definitely use some spoiling though. You could just … bring him food and shove it under his nose. I'll pay."

"You know, that just might work," Mia said, nodding.

"It would work really well if you know what he likes best," James pointed out. "If he's just been drinking, it'll hit him hard. That's what I've watched happen to other people, anyhow."

"I'll ask Mom. She's worried too."

"Well I'm all in if you want back up at any point," James said. "I should have you help him with a little project I've been working on with Franklin."

"Sure thing," Mia said and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. I'm sorry I didn't listen."

"I'm sorry I thought you'd actually back off," James teased with a little smirk.

"Yeah, what were you thinking?"

"I was banking on you believing me for how desperate I was to ask you not to."

"In my defense, I thought I was sneaking in when no one was around," Mia said. "I was just investigating; I wasn't looking for a fight."

James kissed the top of her head. "In your defense, you're a damn hero and I don't think I could have said or done anything to slow you down."

Mia smiled and snuggled deeper into the hug. "Love you too."

"So … call your mom, find out what he likes, and I'll give you a whole box full of projects that are a whole lot like what I did at my place and Nate's." He gave her a meaningful look.

Mia's eyes widened as she suddenly understood. "I'm so ready to help," she agreed instantly.

Ororo had been more than happy to point the kids toward a soul food place when she heard what they were up to. But while they were gone to pick up the food, she decided it was high time to talk to her old friend herself, too.

As disappointing as it was to see immediately how much Remy had been drinking, the bigger clue to just how badly he was feeling was the fact that he obviously hadn't taken care of himself, either. He had been immaculately well-groomed since the day she got him out of prison, so this? This was him actively sabotaging his own recovery in more ways than one.

She didn't know what had happened to put him in this position - or if it wasn't a matter of one single thing but smaller moments combined - but she wasn't going to let another old friend fall apart on her watch. Not after everything they had all already been through trying to get each other back on track.

He was passed out when she found him - and though he'd managed to get to his room, he had fallen short of the bed and was on his side still fully dressed from the day before. Or maybe the day before that. He even still had his shoes on and it looked as if he hadn't moved a muscle from when he'd passed out.

But Ororo knew that he'd be waking up soon to start the cycle over again if she didn't stop him from doing so. When she stepped into the room, she quietly closed the door behind herself then snuck closer to him to really see what kind of shape he was in - half wrapped around a bottle of rum that still had a respectable measure in it. She carefully took the bottle from him and went to his bathroom to dump the rest of it out in the sink.

When she returned to him, it was with a cool washcloth in one hand - and that was how she chose to wake him up … by cleaning up his face a little with the cool cloth.

Remy peeked one eye open, startling slightly, but when he saw who was there, he closed his eyes again with a tired, "M'fine, Stormy."

"Yes, well, I had to be sure you were fine enough not to drown if I opened up a microburst on you." She batted his hand away when he tried to stop her. "The jury is still out on which way that would go."

"You'd do dat to ol' Remy jes' for sleepin in a bit?"

"For sleeping in, no. For drinking himself into oblivion? Perhaps."

Remy sighed and looked down at himself, sighed again, and said, "Ain't nuttin you need t'be worryin' over."

"I think I can decide what I should worry about all on my own," Ororo replied. "And I choose to watch over you."

"M'fine, Stormy, ain't worth stealin' your time," Remy said, reaching toward the bed stand and frowning when he didn't see anything there to drink.

"You aren't capable of stealing my time," Ororo said with a smile. "Or much of anything else at the moment, I'm sure."

"Lies," Remy said easily.

"You don't have the energy to prove me wrong, either, so I suppose we can sit here and wonder how it would go."

"You and I both know you got yourself a whole school to run," Remy pointed out.

Ororo leaned in closer. "Not today."

Remy blew out his breath from his cheeks but knew he couldn't argue with her when she was this determined. "So, what now?"

"Why don't you start with telling me what's gotten you so low?"

Remy let out a mirthless laugh. "No, I don't tink I will," he said, pulling himself a little more upright.

"That doesn't seem much like you," Ororo teased.

"No, I ain't never keep secrets, no ma'am," Remy teased right back.

"You've never bothered to keep them from me," she countered.

At that, Remy did let his shoulders drop, though he hid it by pulling his foot up to pull off his shoes. He was too hungover to try to figure out how to explain himself, especially when he couldn't even bring up Sinister.

"Is it Bobby?" she asked quietly, more to see if he was even listening to her while so lost in his head.

"What dat boy got to do wit anytin'?" Remy asked, a bit more defensively than he would sober.

"Oh, nothing at all, I'm sure," she said airly.

Remy frowned at her for a long moment and then ran a hand down his face. "Alright," he said slowly. "So it jes' may be de case ol' Remy jus' now heard from his bon de rein ol' man." He nodded to himself; that was vague enough he could talk about it.

"Jean-Luc?" Ororo asked, frowning deeply.

Remy let out another hollow laugh. "No, dat would be easy," he said. "No, dis de one what had an affair an' tink he got hisself a say in Remy's life jus' on account we share blood. Track me down, I s'ppose. Always knew Remy was his, jes' didn' care 'cept to ask favors." He made a vague gesture with one hand.

"And you just now discovered this person was blood?"

"Shocked de hell outta ol' Remy, I don' mind tellin' you. Woulda been happy never knowin' de truth."

Ororo considered it for a minute. "Then he doesn't matter one bit."

"Stormy, it's a lil' more complicated den all dat sentiment."

"It doesn't have to be," she said before she sat down next to him and rested her hand on his arm.

Remy was too tired to keep his poker face and simply leaned over to put his head on her shoulder. "Dis man, he wicked in de worst ways," he said.

She leaned her head toward his. "It's not like you to be this bothered by someone."

"Yeah. Wish I could explain it better," Remy said, closing his eyes and letting himself relax on her shoulder.

"You could certainly try," she said. "I won't judge you by people that have had so little to do with you."

"I know." Remy was tired enough he thought about drifting off again, but instead, he cleared his throat and sat up better. "One day, mebbe Remy find de words. Meantime, ain't nuttin' we ken do. Is what it is."

"Such a positive outlook for someone so depressed. Are you sure it's just this negligent father that has you so low?"

Remy shrugged lightly enough he only slightly moved her. "What Remy got to be depressed about?" he asked. "Got a real family here at dis fine school you runnin' so well. Gettin' to see your lil' goddess learn to ride de wind. Don' see nuttin' to complain about."

"Then why would you let someone so inconsequential drag you down for four days?"

Remy swallowed and looked away. "Four days, huh?"

"I thought that I'd waited quite long enough."

"Yeah." Remy sighed. "Well, you ever meet the black-hearted ol' devil, you understand in a second."

"Another one of those?" Ororo said loftily.

Remy chuckled. "Might have Kurt beat," he teased - though he was almost serious.

"That is foreboding," she said with a smile. "You should probably clean up before Mia returns."

Remy frowned down at himself. "Wasn' expectin company."

"She's got a surprise for you," Ororo told him.

"You got a good girl," Remy said, the warmth returning to his smile. "Alright, gimmie a hand up; don't want your lil Mia disappointed."

Ororo got to her feet then pulled on him to help him upright. "I can hit you with a downpour if you don't feel you have the will to make it to the shower."

"You hilarious. I'm fine, me. Always am."

"Cold water only?" she teased.

"So funny," he grumbled good-naturedly before he disappeared into the bathroom.

As soon as Remy slipped into the next room, Ororo's sedate smile dropped and she got to her feet to find any alcohol he might have stashed in the room. For as low as he was, she didn't trust that he wouldn't try to take the edge off before they could get food into him. But when she only found one small bottle of warm French beer, she left him alone to wake up - and clean up.

He was looking much more like himself by the time Mia and James arrived with food - he was clean-shaven again and had a new set of clothes - though he still looked worn down and couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes. Still, when he saw Mia, he gave her a wide, warm smile. "You got to all dis trouble jus' to say hello? You know you jus' gotta say de word and you got me for whatever trouble needs doin'. You need a Kree body hid or is he still in de good books?"

"He's with Tony," James said as Mia giggled at the offer.

"And why aren't you with Tony?" Ororo asked.

It took James half a second too long for the level of response he came up with, though. "... be-cause Noh is with Tony."

Ororo raised an eyebrow and, seeing that Remy was pulling himself together for Mia, put a hand on James's shoulder and gestured down the hall. "I've been meaning to talk to you anyway…"

"It's not a lie," James said, half smiling at her. "I can't do anything with Tony while he's trying to get more tech out of Noh."

"I know," she said simply, keeping her hand on his shoulder. "Still, I don't get the chance to talk to you often enough. Please."

"For you? Always," James replied, trying to keep a light mood.

They ducked into a classroom that wasn't being used at the moment before Ororo turned toward him, frowning. "James, what's going on?" she asked and then held up a hand. "And please, don't tell me nothing is wrong. Rachel and Nate are terrified and on high alert. Your father is slipping to a point I haven't seen since he met Dr. Hale. You are tense as a bowstring and setting up defenses for your brother that Kate isn't calling overkill. Wanda won't ask you, but she is looking for answers. Do you really think the rest of us haven't noticed as you all fall apart?"

James's smile slipped from the moment she started to speak. "No."

"Then tell me what's happening. I won't let the people I love fall to pieces, James. Not again. Not while I have breath in me."

He looked down at his hands as he tried to figure out how to say what he needed to say. If he told her the truth, Sinister would come down on all of them hard. He knew that he had plans in place for just such a slip, and he refused to put his family in the crosshairs like that. "Aunt Ro, I want to tell you everything I know, but I can't. I won't lie to you and say nothing's wrong. And if I could tell you without it causing irreversible harm to everyone involved, I would in a heartbeat. But I know how this will go if I say anything." He looked up at her and half shrunk in on himself. "I'm sorry. You know I'd do anything for the family - or for you guys. This is the only option right now. Wanda's looking for the edges on how to get into this, but she can't help right now either or I would have spoken up a long time ago."

Ororo searched his expression for a long time before she let her shoulders drop and pulled him into a gentle hug. "I am so sorry," she said softly.

"Please don't do that," he said, matching her volume as he snuggled into the hug. He hated holding back so much from them.

She simply responded by hugging him tighter. "Whatever is happening, we will fix it," she swore. "I'm only sorry you are in this position."

"The instant I can tell you anything, I will," James promised. "Because it will take everyone and everything we've got. That's all I can tell you for now."

Ororo nodded and then stepped back to look him in the eyes. "When it's time, whatever you need, you have it," she swore.

"Sorry I can't -" he closed his eyes and sighed.

"It's okay. You aren't the only one." Ororo's eyes flashed slightly as she thought of the friends that had her so worried.

"Yeah, but I kind of started it," James said. He couldn't tell her what was going on -but he could sure as hell drop a few clues. And as he'd seen so far - several times over - if someone else figured it out, Essex didn't drop the hammer on him or anyone else. He just made them keep the secret.

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is," James said.

"I know you believe that-"

"On my life, it's the god's honest truth," James said. "And I'm not exaggerating." He held her gaze, but he couldn't figure out how to direct her to it without crossing a line … which would definitely end with him just telling her everything. Then, he realized he could give her one more piece. "It started in Oxford. I just didn't realize it at first."

Ororo raised both eyebrows and then nodded slowly. "I see," she said simply and then kissed his cheek. "You never get a break. Go. Have fun with Mia."

James shrugged. "Mia's with Remy - and he needs it more than I do."

"Then get some rest. Seems like we are all short on that lately."

"Sorry, not on the agenda," James said before he kissed her cheek.

"I love you, James. I hope you know that."

"You know I love you guys, right?" he said. "Even if I'm horrible at showing it?"

"Of course," Ororo said richly.

"Then if you have other things to do, I should get back to work." He thumbed over his shoulder. "I .. have to pay back Franklin for the help he gave me on the latest defenses. He's kind of pitiful with making his presentations understandable to anyone that's not him or Reed, so …"

"You're helping him with a presentation?"

"Just dumbing his speech down for him so he can walk away without leaving the room wondering what just happened," James said. "Takes a lot of time to explain to him how far he needs to bring it down. He and Reed both have the same problem of not realizing how far ahead of everyone they are."

Ororo chuckled at that. "Good luck to you," she said, giving his shoulder one last squeeze then headed back to where Remy and Mia were.

And James took the distraction to his advantage and zipped out of the school. Billy was in Genosha for the weekend and James hadn't yet managed to get the samples that Sinister was pushing for. And he was running out of time to get them. To his surprise, The Four and Valeria had been easy. Franklin … Franklin was acting nervous around him and was hyper aware of where James was in the room. And if he hadn't realized that Billy was right and Franklin had some sort of held-over crush, he'd have worried that Franklin suspected he was up to something.

He just needed the guy to relax enough to get the damn sample. And he felt incredibly out of his comfort zone trying to use any advantage on Franklin.

He sped to the Baxter building and made his way up to the top floors. This was the last chance James would have to use the speech as an excuse to hang around - and he didn't know what he could use otherwise, though he was sure Franklin would find something. Sue and Reed were happy to see him there - if not a little surprised since it was Friday night.

"I thought you'd be out with Billy," Sue said after she called for Franklin to come out of his room. And of course, he popped his head out just as James started to answer her.

"He had some things he had to take care of in Genosha," James said.

"Don't you usually go with if it's the weekend?" Franklin asked, and Sue was almost frowning between the two of them waiting for James's half-halting answer.

"Usually, yeah, but … we didn't finish going over that speech - and I wanted to follow through."

"Skipped the tropical weekend to hang out with the skinny pale kid?" Ben said - far too loudly.

James smiled simply because he couldn't bring himself to laugh at it. "I mean … I guess so." Then, he quickly held up both hands. "Unless you didn't want my help-"

"No! I do," Franklin said quickly, and James wished that Sinister hadn't been right on that front because Franklin was nervous suddenly. And this could cause so many problems for James. "Come on- I think it's just about ready for you to translate."

"Translate?" Sue asked as James walked by.

"Into plain English," Johnny said from the couch without looking their way. "You know - take it down from geek speak?"

Sue rolled her eyes and the two of them got into one of their age-old arguments about exactly this kind of bias as Franklin led the way to his room. The anxiety didn't let up as he handed James the notes and the two of them sat down in the window seat - facing each other.

In no time, they had shifted to sit almost shoulder to shoulder, honestly going over the notes - with James handing him surprisingly good suggestions to tone it down for his audience in ways that Franklin … simply took for granted. But Franklin was obviously distracted. Sure, James had worked with him plenty in the last week - and they'd done a lot of fun building on the tech he'd brought over. But .. he never expected for James to skip out on time with Billy for this.

James was still trying to figure out what he had to do to get what he needed before Sinister did something terrible to the Four - and he was sure he had a failsafe to work with for just that kind of scenario. Using the paper as a cover kept him thinking though - and he thought he had a way to get his sample when Franklin spoke up.

"Why are you here?"

James stopped what he was doing and turned fully to face him, entirely without an answer to so basic a question. "What … do you mean?"

"I mean you and Billy were stealing every spare moment together in Cambridge. Like … literally, he was coming over for breakfast in the mornings. Did something happen?"

"No."

"Then … why aren't you with him?"

James's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Because he doesn't need me while he does some outreach with his brother and you said you wanted a new set of eyes on this speech. You've done a lot for me, Franklin. I want to return the favor."

"Yeah, but … why? I mean - you let me stay with you for a semester, and you - you don't owe me."

Franklin's anxiety level was peaking along with a few other scents that James hated catching from his old friend. But not as much as he hated the fact that he knew how to push him into distraction. But everyone's well being was in the balance, so he went for an easy shrug, and shifted his tone to one that was more smooth as he forced a crooked smile. "Why not?"

"Ah…"

He could hear Franklin's heart racing and he could practically see the wheels spinning in his head. So James leaned back, out of his space so as not to set off the worst alarm bells for him. "I'm not going to bite you, Franklin. Relax."

"Wasn't … worried about that, honestly," Franklin said with a touch of false bravado that James hated, then he got to his feet a moment later. "I'm … I'm going to grab a couple drinks. Just … I guess … I'll be right back. The others are headed out…" He turned to rush out the door before James could even nod.

And as soon as James heard him running down the hall, he got to his feet and made a lap around the room to figure out how to handle things. He had to get those samples.

He just hoped Franklin wouldn't get brave and actually make a move.

Bobby had been hoping that the Christmas party thing had been a step backward, but not a permanent one. He knew Johnny hadn't ever really been good at getting serious, and he knew that the guy tended to self-destruct when he got nervous, but Bobby had just finished his prepwork for the finals, and that meant it had been an entire semester of waiting for Johnny to figure himself out.

He'd really wanted to give it a shot, too, because it wasn't like he didn't know Johnny liked him. That much was blatantly obvious from all the work Franklin had been doing trying to get them together, for one thing. Not to mention the way Johnny had been weird about Bobby recovering from spending all that time stuck on Genosha, like he wanted to help but didn't know how.

But for the past few months… the guy Bobby had seen when he first came back from Genosha, the one that was trying so hard to make up for not coming to find Bobby, the one who was trying to win him back, was gone. And it wasn't like Bobby wasn't enjoying the physical side of things - but that was pretty much all they were doing anymore.

Johnny knew, for example, that today was supposed to be the last day before he was busy with end-of-semester stuff. But they didn't have plans. They hadn't gone out on a date that Bobby hadn't planned himself since… well, since Christmas. And that last date had been a couple weeks ago.

And at this point, it didn't matter that Bobby knew Johnny liked him. Or cared about him. Or whatever. Johnny was self-destructing, and Bobby didn't want to spend any longer waiting for him to stop.

Bobby let himself out of his office, his hands in his pockets as he headed up to his room. He knew exactly what in that room was Johnny's - and that was kind of telling, too, because there wasn't much of it. He'd been going to the Baxter Building enough that he'd left plenty of clothes there and had his own toothbrush, towel, the works. But Johnny had a few clothes and honestly not much else.

Bobby threw the clothes in a box and then left through his room's window, skating down to the garage rather than risking passing anyone he knew while he was carrying Johnny's stuff out. He didn't want to have to deal with the questions.

He had plenty of time to try to talk himself out of this course of action on the way to the city, but the truth was, he'd been thinking about doing exactly this for weeks now. He just hadn't gotten around to it.

The only thing that slowed him down, really, was the fact that he saw James coming out of the Baxter Building just as he was about to go in. The kid looked almost sick to his stomach, which was just … he didn't want to think too much of it, except that Billy had been loudly complaining that James was too busy to hang out with him lately.

Bobby frowned toward James and then decided against calling out to him. Whatever was going on with that kid, he could figure it out on his own. And Bobby was honestly trying to keep the drama to a minimum.

He had his own passkey to the place by then, so he let himself into the elevator but still knocked as he opened the door to the Four's place. It looked pretty empty; either the Four were gone or they were sleeping off another mission to space or something. It didn't really matter. At least it meant Bobby wouldn't have to deal with the look he knew Sue would have given him if she saw him.

He set Johnny's stuff down on the table and then, briefly, considered whether it was worth it to grab his stuff too. But none of it was sentimental - and that was telling too, wasn't it?

So, Bobby left his keycard behind and headed back out, quieter than normal as he drove back. He stopped somewhere for a drive-thru dinner and had every intention of just slipping back to his room and trying not to alert anyone that anything had changed.

Except that was right around the time Remy got back, also trying to slip in without being seen. And both of them had had the same idea of going in through the door in the east that was well-hidden by a garden Leslie Ann had been tending with Storm.

"Are you coming or going?" Bobby asked quietly when Remy stopped upon seeing him. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen Remy in a while, but even while Bobby had been in his own head for so long, he could tell Remy wasn't exactly looking cheerful either.

"Jes' comin' in," Remy said. "And you?"

"Same," Bobby said with a sigh.

"Now, dat ain't right; night's perfectly good for somet'in fun t'do," Remy said, though he was watching Bobby more closely.

"Yeah, I'm not really in a big rush, to be honest," Bobby said. "Kinda nice out - for now."

"We gon' talk 'bout de weather, Rober'?" Remy teased lightly.

"Nothing else is changing, is it?" Bobby asked. "Why aren't you out? This is prime party time for you, isn't it?"

Remy shrugged easily with his hands in the pocket of his coat. "Haven't been in de partyin' mood, if you want de truth," he said.

"No? Well … what about that little bender I heard about? If it wasn't a party, then we probably need to light the torches or something, right?"

Remy chuckled. "You mustn't'a heard 'bout 'Ro lettin' ol' Remy know her opinion on dat bender."

"Been a little busy," Bobby said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And she wouldn't talk."

"True 'nuff." Remy sighed and gestured for Bobby to join him. "You look like you lost in yo' head."

"Yeah, a little," Bobby agreed. "Just dropped off my keycard for the Baxter Building. Etcetera."

"Ah." Remy nodded slowly, taking his time tipping his head up and then down. "You find someone better," he said confidently.

"Just tired of his games," Bobby said. "I'm not exactly the kind of guy anyone's trying to pick up?"

"What?" Remy laughed and gestured to Bobby, sweeping one hand up and down along with his gaze. "What dey got against handsome heroes, hmm? You good-lookin' enough Johnny prolly jes' jealous."

"Wow, Rem - you really need your eyes checked," Bobby said with a chuckle.

"Lies. You jes' don' see it is all."

"Sure, sure. So - what was with the drinking?"

Remy let out a noise from the back of his throat and waved the question away. "Long story," he said after a moment's indecision trying to decide what to tell him.

"I've got time."

Remy laughed at that as they walked back into Leslie Ann's garden. "Well, mebbe it ain't so long. Mebbe ol' Remy jes' don' like talkin' bout how de man what tinks he ken claim to be a father jes' 'cause of his contributin' some DNA strolled into Remy's life tinkin' he got a say in it."

"You've met my racist anti-mutant, homophobic dad," Bobby said. "Seems like you can write him off pretty easy when you didn't even know him. I still get guilt trip letters from my mom to ask if I found a cure yet. For either issue."

Remy pulled a face. "You need 'em to get a worldview adjustment?" he offered.

"If they haven't figured it out by now, they're not going to."

"True." Remy shrugged easily. "Come to find out Remy's biological father nuttin' more'n a murderer and sadist."

Bobby nodded. "I think that support group meets on Thursdays. Sorry."

"Jes' took me by surprise, is all," Remy said. "Wasn't expectin' it, and had a few other tings complicatin' life. Won' happen again."

"Fair," Bobby said.

Remy cleared his throat. "So," he said. "If we ain't talkin' 'bout horrible fathers, we gon' talk about dat prodigy you been teaching wit Stormy?" He smiled easily at Bobby. "Lil Miss Leslie Ann jus' 'bout worshippin' you."

"Oh, yeah, she's a great kid - horrible taste - but a great kid all the same. She's coming along really well. But … you know. Storm. Hard not to."

"Cain't go wrong wit' a goddess," Remy agreed.

"Right? So … you'll pick one up this fall, right?"

Remy let out a tired laugh. "Been a lil' busy, but mebbe."

"Make time before you end up looking like an old man," Bobby teased.

Remy drew himself up with a scoff. "Rober'," he said. "Mebbe you got issue wit' your self-image, but Remy don' abide by lies bout his good looks."

"I didn't say you looked like one now," Bobby defended with a grin.

"Dat's right you didn'," Remy said, grinning right back.

"So … go do what you do," Bobby said, bumping his shoulder. "You've been a hermit since you came home. More or less. It's unsettling."

"Yeah, don' mean to be," Remy said.

"That makes it worse."

Remy smirked and bumped his shoulder back. "Don' worry none. We figure it out, you an' me. You learn how t'take a compliment, and ol' Remy, he get back into life."

"Sounds like a plan," Bobby said. "But I don't want to go in yet." He sat down in the grass outside of the greenhouse, then leaned back until he was stretched out and looking up at the stars.

"Mind company?" Remy asked as he sat down and took a similar position.

"Nah. I welcome it."

Remy smirked at that and sat with his hands behind his head, with every intention of sticking around for Bobby after the breakup - though what actually happened was that he fell asleep watching the stars after a few minutes.

After several weeks of work, Mia and Remy had finally finished installing the last of the devices James had made up for them to fortify Westchester and genetically block Sinister and his men. They'd followed the installation schematics James had drawn up for them to a 't' … but found themselves with one extra device.

"They were all working, right?" Mia asked Remy when they realized that there was a spare.

"They are," Remy said with a growing smile. "Ev'ry one. Ol Remy thinkin' mebbe dat one .. just one to keep. Jes in case. Or set dat down somewhere safe." Remy almost laughed then nodded to himself. "You keep dat safe, now," he said, smiling outright when he kissed the top of her head - and a few moments later, he disappeared leaving Mia to turn it over in her hands and consider what to do with it.

There was no way James had miscounted, after all. And these weren't something he'd picked up somewhere. He had to make every last one - so, she knew this was intentional. So, without being able to talk about what they were without giving it away and breaking the rules, all she could do was leave it in a conspicuous place. Like next to her hairbrush on her dresser. Directly next to the door. Where her father stood to wish her a good night every night since forever.

She looked over at where Remy had disappeared then started to giggle under her breath before she teleported up to her room and carefully set the device down - then twirled across the room to change. And wait.

"You're in an excellent mood," Noh said as he let himself into her room through the window after coming back from a full day with Tony.

"Yes, I am," she agreed with a pointed grin. "How was working with the Stark?"

"Fun as always. His ideas are incredibly advanced, and I enjoy talking theory with him."

"Is he still pining?" Mia laughed.

"For the tech I won't share or for his adopted son to come back from Reed Richards' orbit?" Noh teased.

"Yes. Both are fun to watch."

"Yes, yes they are," Noh agreed, pulling off his shoes and setting them aside before he sat down and stretched. "And you look lovely when you're dancing."

"So do you," she shot back. "But I'm not in the mood for a dance party. Sadly."

"What? And you were beaming so brightly when I arrived."

"Have I dimmed?" she laughed before she stole a kiss.

"You did say you were in no mood for a dance party," Noh said.

"Yes. Because I am waiting for the floor show." Her tail was swaying behind her.

Noh laughed and pulled her into another kiss. "Oh, you are in a good mood," he said - laughing when she pinned him in a much more enthusiastic kiss after that.

They were just starting to get tangled up with each other when someone knocked on the door. Mia nearly shoved Noh halfway across the bed as she called for them to enter, grinning brightly as she did so. "It's open!"

The door opened with Forge behind it - and his smile slipped when he saw that the two of them were clearly getting overly involved if the expression Noh was wearing was anything to judge by. "I - was just going to say good night," Forge said, and almost slipped right out, but Mia was on her feet in a blink.

"So, you can still do that," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Forge sighed and shook his head before he stepped forward and kissed her cheek good night - only to freeze when he turned back toward the door and saw the device sitting there. "What is that?" he asked before he turned to Noh. "Is this yours?"

Noh shook his head. "No, looks like something James was working on last we talked, though."

By that time, Forge had already picked it up and was wearing an expression that was equal parts intrigued and confused the more he saw of it. He looked between the two of them, then back to the device. "Do you know what this is?" Before either could answer, he started muttering to himself. "this is so hyper specific - why…DNA targeted … who in the world …"

And by that time, Mia was bouncing again. "You should probably take it to Uncle Hank. And Mom. Mom needs to see this." She waved her hand. "Whatever it is."

"Meet me there?" Forge said, though he clearly wasn't about to let go of the device as he continued to examine it.

"Yes, of course," Mia agreed, still bouncing and grinning as Forge turned to leave and she started cackling. "This is the best."

"I think you'll need to explain this to me," Noh said, though he had reached over to pull her into a hug to rest his chin on her shoulder, obviously thrilled to see her so happy.

"It's gonna be way better when Dad explains it," Mia said.

"Then can I come too?"

"That depends on if you're planning to go running off for vampires."

"I've not yet figured out how to evade vampiric methods of capture, so, no, I haven't been hunting and won't be until I can get a better plan of action."

"Perfect!" She said before she took a better hold of him and teleported them directly to Hank - and even timed it perfectly to stick her head out of the sulfur cloud to startle him with a muted "Hi."

As she'd hoped, Hank startled back a step - and she'd beaten her father down.

Hank chuckled and wiped his glasses as a means to recompose himself. "And what can I do for the two of you?" he asked.

"For us? Nothing. We're just here to watch," Mia said before she hopped up on a stretcher - her tail still swaying playfully behind her. "Ooh, but if you have popcorn, I would love some."

Hank's chuckle turned into a laugh. "I'll see what I have," he said. "It seems something wonderful is afoot."

"Henry!" Forge called out as he stepped through the door looking much more intense than he had just a few minutes earlier. "I need you to run a DNA analysis. Right now."

"Hold that thought, Mia," Hank said, pivoting quickly to help Forge when he heard the urgency in his tone.

"I should have planned ahead and brought the popcorn," Mia stage-whispered to Noh.

Hank hadn't even crossed the room before Forge started talking at speed describing to Hank what it was he was holding and what it did. He was picking up speed the more he spoke, and by the time he got the device cracked open to where the sample was, he was just about to the point of saying who he thought their problem was. "I can't 'see' who it's coded against - but the sample …"

"I can confirm your suspicions in a matter of minutes," Hank said, already picking up on Forge's train of thought.

"This would explain …pretty much everything," Forge said. "The baby-" he let his thought drop, but by that time, Hank was holding his breath.

He was loath to say anything when he was halfway hoping Forge was wrong, but the scent from the sample alone was familiar enough that he was putting together several clues from the last few months, not the least of which being the way Kate and Nate had been acting the day David was born. But now that he thought about it, the change that had come over Scott lately, the angry call he had received from James relating to David, the sudden paranoia from those in the Summers family's immediate circle, even the burnt-out healing Noh had been reluctant to explain.

And a few minutes later, he had confirmation, and he took his glasses off as he stepped back from the lab computer so that Forge could see it for himself as well.

Forge looked at the data carefully, triple checked the comparison on screen, and when he finally stepped back all he said to Hank was "Ororo said something about Oxford."

Hank was quiet for a long time before, his voice carrying a growl in it, he said, "I think you and I should speak to Ororo, so that we're all on the same page."

"I'll get her," Mia offered - then disappeared before either of them could counter offer. And only another minute passed before Mia returned with her mother, and Mia went back to sit with Noh.

Hank raised his eyebrows at Mia. "I take it the two of you know more about this than you can say?" he guessed.

Instead of agreeing outright, Mia touched her nose and settled in to watch. "All I know is that I was told by James that this is the same system that he put in for Kate and Nate's building … and his apartment with Billy. Also, something about it didn't want to work properly with the tech already in place that's protecting Scott, and the risks for what Scott has in place for protection now against switching for this isn't threat enough to do it, so … that's all I know."

Hank's frown deepened as he looked toward Ororo. "We are far behind our dear friends," he said.

Ororo nodded, her arms crossed as she thought of not only the concerns she held for Scott and his family but of the recent bender Remy had gone on. He'd had issues with Sinister before, and all things considered with how often he had been disappearing, it seemed unlikely that he was not also dealing with the man.

But when she considered what he had told her, the drinking made sense. She wasn't sure there was a good way to react to a family connection like that.

"We need to know more," Forge said, still fiddling with James's device. "Like who knew about this and what the threats are." He gestured toward Mia, who was watching the adults. "The kids are playing defense, and I want to know how they ended up here."

"I'll talk to Betsy," Ororo said, knowing Nate and Rachel were out of the question. "Once we know the extent of his manipulations…"

"I don't like rushing about cleaning up after madmen," Hank said, his eyes narrowed; the growl still hadn't left his voice.

"Then let's move quickly past that part and into the part where we deal with the problem," Ororo agreed, her eyes flashing with power.

And as the adults discussed how to find out what Sinister was up to without hurting those he had already silenced, Noh leaned over Mia's shoulder, to kiss her on the cheek before he rested his chin there. "And this is why you were in such a good mood," he said, though he switched to Kree after that. "I thought James wanted to leave the others out of this confrontation to keep them safe."

"I guess we're running out of ways to keep this from turning into a fight," Mia replied. "He's working closer with the guy than anyone else is. If I trust anyone to know when it's time to call for help, it's James."

"True enough," Noh agreed, watching with her as the older X-Men fell into a familiar pattern of strategizing. "This part, I understand. We are preparing for war."

"Yeah. You ready?" Mia couldn't help but tease.

Noh smirked and kissed her cheek again. "Always."