CHAPTER 10
 

 The next few days went by relativelt quietly. Alex hadn't shown up since Cyclops had taken a shot at him, which was relieving. Rogue, Archangel, Psylocke, and Beast had gone to observe a Friends of Humanity demonstration to make sure that they didn't get out of hand. They didn't but the four X-men came back, considerably pissed about the anti-mutant propaganda that the FOH were trying to raise.

 Bobby Drake, the ever-joking Iceman, had been chased around the mansion one day. He had frozen the water in the swimming pool while people were still in it. Bishop and Phoenix had caught up to him in the rec room and took full advantage of the knowledge that Bobby was ticklish. Even Bishop seemed to lighten up.

 Everyone had begun to grow accustomed to the idea of Remy being half vampire. Remy had relaxed considerably as things returned to what passed for normal around there. Since he hadn't been caught biting people on the neck or anything like that, the nervousness was slipping away.

 Jean Grey Summers, AKA Phoenix, lifted her gaze from the control panels to see Gambit walk in. She smiled pleasantly in greeting. The two hadn't trained in the Danger Room together in awhile, which was the porpose of them doing so today. They knew it was dangerous to lose touch with the team and in their line of work it was important to fight well together.

 "Morning, Cajun," she said.

 "You an' Scott like dese early mornin' training sessions, neh?" he grinned.

 "At least I waited until Ten. My husband would have had you down here at Six."

 "Now dat's somethin' I ain't lookin' forward to," Remy gave a pretend shudder. Jean rolled her eyes and touched a few keys on the control panel. They went down into the Danger Room and the program began.

 Sentinel robots appeared throwing energy beams, wall lasers came alive with hot bursts of light that scorched lines across the floor. Gambit flipped and dodged while releasing kinetically charged cards, crippling most of the sentinels that were in his path. Phoenix used her telekinesis to take out the wall blasters.

 They moved in synche as a team should, watching each other's backs while effectively neutralizing any threats. They kept an eye out on each other to make sure the other wasn't in any trouble they couldn't get out of. One of the santinels crashed down into Jean's telekinetic bubble. She wasn't actually hit by it, but the impact on her shield sent her sprawling to the floor. In a split second, Gambit was there, cards in hand. The cards flew at the robot, crashing into its shoulder and head, decapitating it. Unable to use its visual sensors, it steered recklessly around the room firing its energy blast randomly. The sentinel by itself took out two other sentinels and and blasting the last of the wall lasers. Jean finished the miserable robot off with a telekinetic burst.

 Noting that there were no more targets for the two, it created holographic ones, using the Shi'ar technology given to the X-men. A series of air-borne lasers, with the appearance of mechanical dragonflies, launched themselves at Phoenix and Gambit. They darted and swerved, some caught by Gambit's kinetic explosions and some trapped in Phoenix's psionic fields.

 Jean thought the exercise was going rather well until she saw Remy collapse to his knees across the room.

 #Remy, what's wrong?# she sent the telepathic question. She was answered when every last of the mechanical dragonflies began to glow with a kinetic charge. Gambit didn't need to touch them, Jean could sense the psionic force projecting the charge onto the objects. They began to hum and whir uncontrollably, until, all at once, they exploded with the force of a full charge.

 The explosion was deafening. Acrid black smoke filled the room and the floor vibrated with the momentum. Jean was thrown to the floor and the impact knocked her breathe out of her. She coughed as the smoke filed her lungs. Though the black fog was lifting gradually she couldn't see Gambit yet.

 #Gambit? Remy, are you alright? Remy?# The answer seemed forever in coming.

 #M'okay. M'okay,# he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Jean. She picked herself off the floor and began to walk towards where she had seen him last. The smoke had lifted nearly all the way now and she could see fragments of machinery smoldering and burning on the floor. She placed telekinetic fields over them to block out oxygen and extinguish the fire.

 Remy was still on his knees when she reached him. His hands were out infront of him supporting his wieght, and he looked up to her as she approached. His mouth was half open in surprise, exposing the sharp fangs that had so recently become a part of him. The sight of them would have been frightening had Remy not looked so totally shell-shocked.

 #What happened?# Jean asked.

 #I'm not sure. I..I just..lost control.#

 "How?" Jean switched back to verbal communucation. Remy shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. Jean knelt down and sat indian-style beside him. "How did you lose control," she asked again.

 #I think dis thing is screwin' up my powers,# he offered finally. Jean blinked. She had dropped the telepathic line. He didn't even seem aware of it.

 "I guess this change has pushed your powers to a higher level.Making them harder to control. Remy?" Gambit returned his gaze to her and tired to focus his eyes. Jean continued. "I.. well, to be honest, I didn't know you were a telepath." His eyes widened slightly at the words.

 "I can't imagine why you didn't tell us," she said. His gaze snapped quickly back to the floor. "Had my reasons," he replied.

 Jean stood and pulled at his arm to get him to stand as well. He complied, but seemed a little unsteady.

 "The proffessor could help you with your powers. You know, show you how to use them properly. If you really have gotten a power boost you may need that help," she moved towards the door, and the proffessor's study, Remy guessed.

 "No!" he caught her wrist before she got out of reach. "No, Jean, don't mention it," his voice was pleading.

 "But..why?" she found it hard to discern why Remy wanted this a secret. His eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't release her wrist.

 "Please, Jean," he whispered.

 "A..alright," she said. Gambit let go of her wrist. He suddenly looked terribly embarressed. Jean caught a sense of uneasiness from him and thought that perhaps a change of subject would help. She'd never seen him act like this before.

 "Why don't we go get some lunch. I don't know about you, but after that workout, I'm real hungry," she smiled at him, reassuringly. The corner of his mouth lifted.

 "Thanks, chere," he said.
 

END PART 10

 Spade