Disclaimer: Believe it or not, only the plot belongs to me (still).

Chapter Eighteen – Under Lock and Key

March 1997

After a few months, things went back to normal. Remy and Rogue were rarely out of each other's company, just like Scott and Jean and John and Amara. One Saturday morning, the students were playing a game of 'Mutant-Ball', which was baseball, except with powers.

Remy was watching, along with Logan and the Professor, and telling them about a rather concerning misadventure the night before.

"So let me get this straight," Logan growled, "you don't remember leaving the Institute?"

Remy shook his head. "Non. When I woke, I was nowhere near here. Magneto was there, along wit' a little man who looked like a monkey and another man, who had strange tattoos all over his head."

"Mesmero." Professor Xavier frowned. "And, if I'm not mistaken, the other man was Mastermind. But where were you?"

The sound of beating wings caused them to look up and Warren Worthington III swooped down on them, landing in front of Remy. "You're the guy who broke into my house last night."

"Well, there's your answer." Logan pointed out. "The question is…"

"Why?" Remy finished.

A few minutes later, they were all standing in Cerebro with Scott and Jean and Hank was searching for Mesmero.

"So I broke into your house and stole an ancient artefact, woke y' up in t' process, then knocked y' out?" Remy summarised, shaking his head. "Amateur."

Warren raised an eyebrow at Logan, who shrugged. "Gumbo was in the Thieves' Guild back in New Orleans; if he hadn't been possessed, there's no way you'd have heard him. He's too good."

"Why, t'ank y'." Remy paused. "I think."

"Is this him?" Hank asked, as Mesmero's face came onto the screen.

"That's the guy." Warren stated; Remy nodded in agreement. "It's not a face you forget easily. But why use someone else to break in?"

"Because that's what he does." Professor Xavier sighed. "He manipulates others, just as he did with Jean in order to steal those rings."

Hank brought up a visual. "We've now been able to determine that the rings work together as some kind of key. The other half of Warren's stolen Spider-stone is in a London museum. When put together, they complete the spider."

"And that Spider-stone might well do the same." Professor Xavier summarised.

"A key to what?" Warren asked.

"I don't know." Professor Xavier admitted. "But with Magneto now involved, I feel it imperative that we secure the other half before he does."

"Absolutely." Bobby agreed from behind them.

"No, kid, you're staying here." Logan told him, not bothering to chide him for eavesdropping. "And with Storm away, I'd best stay as well; someone's gotta make sure the kids don't blow the place up."

"Right." Professor Xavier nodded. "Gambit?"

"Coming." Remy said firmly.

"And it might be best if we take Pyro as well." Jean suggested. "They both know the way Magneto works."

"Well, the museum looks pretty quiet." Hank observed as the jet touched down. "Maybe we got here in time."

"Maybe." Professor X agreed. "But we'd better hurry, just in case. Scott, would you go and inform our stowaway that we've arrived?"

"Stowaway?" Scott repeated.

"Got it covered." John leaned back and opened one of the storage compartments. "Bobby, we're here."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Got anything to say for yourself?"

"Yeah." Bobby climbed out and stretched, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's the last time I fly no frills."

Scott rolled his eyes behind his shades as Jean covered her mouth to hide a snigger. With Professor Xavier waiting in the jet in case he was needed, the seven X-Men made their way towards the silent museum, all on high alert. Without missing a step, Bobby iced up. "Oh yeah. Definitely the cool team."

Jean didn't bother commenting on the terrible pun – she'd had enough practice ignoring her brother's – and focused instead on the doors to the museum. "Looks like Magneto is here already. And he let himself in."

"You stick with me." Hank told Bobby firmly.

Bobby grinned confidently. "Don't worry. I've got your back."

Hank sighed wearily. "You don't have my back. You don't have a clue."

"Split up." Scott instructed. "Jean and I will take one side. Angel, the other. Beast and Iceman, the roof. Gambit, Pyro, use the doors."

"Oh, sure." John rolled his eyes. "You guys get the cool entrances."

Ignoring him, Jean levitated herself and Scott up to one of the windows, spotting a familiar figure skulking inside. "Sabretooth."

"Make it happen." Scott told her.

With a burst of telekinesis, Jean pushed the window open and caught Sabretooth in a curtain. At the same time, Warren swooped in from the other side, John and Remy burst in from the doors and Hank and Bobby slid down an ice pole from the ceiling.

Within seconds, Sabretooth was free, but Scott blasted him into a metal Colossus, who had just come running in.

"We have Acolytes." John observed.

"And I think they wanna play." Remy pulled two fully-charged cards from his pocket, ready to fight.

Ignoring his former team-mates, Sabretooth hurled pieces of marble and stone up at Warren, who flapped his wings harder, forcing them to change direction. Colossus hurled a block of metal at Scott, who blasted it to pieces.

With a growl, Sabretooth picked up one of the admissions booths and aimed it at Hank; its way was blocked by an ice-shield.

"Like I said," Bobby slid down it, "Iceman's got your back."

Before anything else could be done, there was an almighty crash from above them; everyone spun around to see a glowing green spider leap down and land on a couple of parked cars.

"I don't care what it takes." Magneto called to his Acolytes. "Destroy that spider!"

Without a backward glance, Colossus and Sabretooth took off.

"Eric, no!" Professor Xavier shouted, emerging from the nearby Blackbird. "We don't know anything about it!"

"I know enough." Magneto snapped. "That's one key that won't be unlocking any doors."

As he flew off, Professor Xavier turned to the X-Men. "We have to capture it and then protect it. That Spider-stone has answers we need."

"We're on it, Professor." Scott told him.

The X-Men took up the pursuit and soon caught up with the giant arachnid. "Pyro, try to trap it!" Scott called.

"Right you are!" Using his flame-thrower, John sent a ring of flames around the spider.

"Right, now…" Scott trailed off. "Where'd it go?"

"It's gone down under!" John called. "Move!"

The X-Men dove aside as a schism ripped through the ground towards the harbour and then disappeared.

"Alright, now where is it?!" Scott demanded.

Remy pointed. "It went that way. I just don't know whereabouts that way."

"It's in the river!" Warren called from the sky. "There!"

Sure enough, there was a green glow moving through the water.

Flying up herself, Jean lifted the spider out of the water, holding it in a telekinetic bubble, but, somehow the spider broke free, throwing Jean back before diving back into the water.

Scott ran forwards to catch her, sending them both falling to the ground anyway. "Alright?"

"Fine." Jean stood up.

"That is one persistent insect." John commented.

"Actually, spiders aren't insects." Hank told him. "You see…"

"Tell him later!" Bobby interrupted, creating a bridge over the river. "Hang on!"

As the ice carried them, Scott threw optic blasts at it.

"Scott, don't hurt it!" Jean warned.

"Just trying to slow it down." Scott told her. "Hang on. Nothing seems to be working."

As the spider trundled into the heart of the city, cars crashed beneath it and people ran screaming through the streets. A bus skidded to a halt and overturned on top of it.

"Jean, that was an empty bus! Get the driver out!" Scott ordered. "Gambit, blow it up!"

"But…" Jean protested.

"Do it!"

Sighing, Jean ripped the door off and lifted the panicking driver from within it. As Remy ran for the hunk of metal, she set the human gently down. "Are you alright?"

"Been better." He wheezed.

"Get to a hospital." Jean told him. "Go on."

"Back up!" Remy warned. "It's gonna blow!" And blow it did. "I do believe that slowed it down."

"Just long enough." Magneto swooped down as the spider rose from the wreckage and landed in front of it.

The Velocity swooped down. "Don't do it, Eric!" Professor Xavier shouted across the PA. "Do not destroy it!"

"I must!" Magneto concentrated and placed his hands on the spider, which glowed even brighter, an eerie wind rising around them, and seemed to absorb into his hands. He collapsed, clutching the Spider-stone.

"You've done the very thing Mesmero wanted." Professor Xavier sighed.

"No." Magneto disagreed as Colossus helped him to his feet. "The key has been destroyed."

"And he knew only you had the power to do it." The professor replied. "That wasn't just a key; it was a guardian. Designed to prevent Apocalypse's release. And, with its destruction, the second door will now open. He used you, Eric."

During this, Warren and Hank had wandered away to the edge of the docks.

"It was heading directly south-east." Warren commented.

"But where was it going?" Hank asked.

"I don't know." Professor Xavier admitted. "But it's in our best interest to find out. Because when Mesmero finds the third and final key, the world as we know it will change forever."

"And what exactly did he mean by that?" Lance asked.

Kitty sighed. "I don't know. Jean said he didn't elaborate."

"And Apocalypse?"

The two were lying side by side on a blanket beside Lance's car, just outside Bayville in a quiet field, gazing up at the dark star-lit sky above them. They had never had what some people would consider a 'normal' date; then again, they had never felt the need to. They were perfectly content with just being together without their friends interrupting, although the Brotherhood no longer had any problems with their relationship, and most of the X-Men were accepting as well.

Kitty shook her head. "I've never heard of him. I mean, 'apocalypse' is supposed to be the end of the world, but I've never come across anyone with that name – man or mutant – and I can't find him anywhere." She bit her lip. "I hate not knowing what I'm dealing with."

"I know." Lance took her hand and squeezed it, entangling his fingers with hers. "It'll be fine."

"The apocalypse is supposed to be heralded by the four horsemen." Kitty stated. "War, famine, pestilence and death."

"Well, I can't think of any mutants with those powers." Lance told her, in a transparent attempt to cheer her up. "There's still another door, isn't there?"

"I guess." Kitty shifted closer to him and he slipped his arm around her, tucking her head under his chin. "I just have a bad feeling and no one else seems to feel it."

"I do." Lance assured her quietly, kissing her forehead. "I trust your instincts, Kitten."

Kitty didn't respond for a few seconds, letting herself absorb comfort from her boyfriend's embrace. Finally, she spoke, forcing the admission from her lips. "I'm scared, Lance."

Still keeping her in his arms, Lance sat up and pulled her into his lap. Cupping her face, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I know."

"What if he gets out?" Kitty whispered. "What if we're not enough to stop him?"

"You might not be." Lance told her. "But I promise you, Kitty, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Kitty smiled softly, leaning against him. "I know you won't. I love you."

Lance ran a gentle hand through her hair. "I love you too."

AN: A little close to the show for my liking, but I don't like missing things out. Review please!