By Raven Adams

"If she's hurt, I'll kill Scott."

Lizzie blinked. Her head was groggy, just like it always was after an attack, so she shook it. Her eye sight cleared and she could hear better. There were three other people in the room with her. She could feel them, Xavier, the Phoenix, and her poppa.

"Don't worry Gambit. If she is hurt more then we think, then I'll kill Scott myself!"

"There is no need for-"

"Right. There is no need for anyone to die. At least not because I had one of my attacks." The three turned as Lizzie sat up in the bed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Don't worry about me, Mrs. Summers. My attacks are both a blessing ... and a curse. The only fault to be found here, lay on the head of the Devil himself. Saints, but I've got a headache."

Gambit moved away from his friends and grabbed Lizzie in a bear hug, she stiffened as he did so. "You scare me, Petite Belle! I t'ought I lose you af'er you find me. I don' want t' lose you 'gain."

Lizzie sighed and relaxed against him, her own arms coming around to hug him back. She didn't know how many times she had dreamed that he would be there for her. How much she had stared at his pitcher in her locket, and would wish she could see him one time, not just on the TV, but in real life. Right in front of her.

He was all she had left of her past before Sinister.

She remembered little of her mother. Mostly what she remembered was seeing her mother fall before her, dead. And of what she recalled before Sinister had taken her, was hazy, like a dream that she tried hard to hold on to, but it just kept slipping away. What she did remember was of the time she and her poppa had spent together. He had always been there for her then, and she wanted him to be there for her now.

But she had to keep in mind, he'd been gone for so long.

Conrad had found her. Had called her daughter, and she, needing the love of a father, had called him dad. Nina had taken the place of the mother she could no longer remember, and for the longest time, she thought that Conrad had taken the place of the very man who was holding her now. But as tears come out of her eyes to run down her checks, she realized, that as she loved Conrad very much, he had never really taken the place of her poppa. She realized that deep in her heart, she had always known this.

And now she had her poppa back. She could never have her mother back. She knew that. But at least now, her poppa wasn't part of the dream she had desperately tried to hold onto. He was here. He was real.

Remy felt, rather then heard, her tears. And he felt the water collect behind his own eyes too. She was real. He was holding her in his arms, so she had to be real. But why did he feel like it was all a dream, and that he would wake up soon? never to actually hold her in his arms again?

It was because very few things in his life went the way he wanted them to. It was something he had learned to accept.

But if this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. He would hold on to it as long as he could.

But as with a dream, this reunion between father and daughter had to end at some point, and it did when Xavier cleared his throat.

Gambit moved back a little, one arm still around Lizzie, as if he were afraid she would disappear if he let go.

"Professor Xavier," Lizzie said with a polite incline of her head. "My name is Elizabeth Michelle LeBeau. I believe you know me better as... Raven Jentree."

"Raven Jent-... Conrad sent you?" Xavier had been expecting many things to come from this girl's mouth, but to learn that this was the person his old friend had picked to tell him about the new mutant school... "Conrad sent you?"

The little smile that came to her lips and the gleam in her eyes looked exactly like Gambit's when he did something sneaky. "He told you he would send his best, and so here I am. It was his decision to give your X-Men a little ... demonstration. I admit I was a little too sure of myself. I really didn't think that even you could catch me." She shrugged. "You win some, you lose some."

"The last time I saw you..."

"I was fourteen and hiding behind Nina's skirts. I was just getting over Sinister and every new face was a threat at the time, I have grown out of that phase. I remember Connie walking you around the school."

"Conrad did tell me he created a school that was for thieves"

"Connie didn't tell you a lot of things. Like the fact that Forge made the school when it was still a school, and we no longer consider it so. And we're not thieves. We're spies." She said this with pride.

"I'm afraid we have gotten off to a very bad start. Let's start over." She got off the bed and walked toward Xavier. She lifted her hand out, which Xavier took in his. "Hello Professor Xavier. My name is Elizabeth LeBeau, I am co-leader of CMS, also know as Cover Mutant Spies. We work for both the United States and the Canadian governments, we are the only agency that does. We are so covert that the MiB's don't know about us, and I could get you tickets to see the aliens at Area 51 with no problems. The president doesn't know about us, and Bastion left us alone during that little Operation Zero Tolerance thing, because he also knew nothing about us. Does that answer some of your questions?"

"Some. I know now why you stole that file. Conrad always did go a little overboard in his demonstrations."

Lizzie laughed, a pretty sound that reminded Gambit of her mother. "A little overboard? You should try living with the man."

Xavier laughed with her. "That sounds like something your m-"

**Please don't.** Lizzie's thoughts echoed in Xavier's mind. **It's been eight years since I last saw Gambit. I have him back now, and I don't want him to think that he's been replaced.** She pleaded with her eyes as well as with her words.

Xavier nodded, and continued what he was saying. "You sound like Nina."

"Which reminds me," she said as a slight subject change. "I have a file here for your Dr. McCoy." She looked around. "Um ... where are my bags?"

They were behind the bed, Bishop had gone through them to make sure there were no weapons in them. Lizzie smile when Jean told her this, and that he hadn't found anything. "I guess I'll have to introduce him to CMS weaponry." She said with a little laugh. She pulled two floppy-disks out of one bag and tossed them to Xavier. Then she pulled her boots back on.

This done, she sat back up on the bed. Gambit's arm snaked around her. She smiled and leaned back against him. This was a very comfortable seat.

"There are ten of us. Well, ten of us that are actual operatives. There are sixteen of us altogether. The operatives are: myself called Raven, Shadow, Kert Lowell called Torch, Shade, Kristan Zittritshe called Life, Erika Wharton called Rock Minder, Asia Catlin called Cold Fire, Harvey McCrinnis called Wisher, Tomko Zittritshe called Animal, Timofee Jentree called Sight, and Quinn Gallagher called Traveler.

"We have partners, Kert is mine, Shadow is too, kinda; the way of this partner thing is that Kert and I have our minds linked together. At all times I can feel him and he can feel me, although the link isn't as strong now since we are so far apart. Kert and my partnership is different for three reasons. One is Shadow.

"I escaped from Sinister with the help of a man known only as Shadow. His memories had been ripped away from him by Sinister, but for some reason he felt he should save me. I call him Shadow, because most of the time he fallows me everywhere. Right now he is probably just outside of you gate wondering if you've killed me."

"Why didn't he come up here with you?"

Lizzie grinned at Jean's question. "He's seven feet of muscle. He's huge. If he had come with me, you never would have let us though the door. Or, when your husband had grabbed me, Shadow would have picked him up by his neck and thrown him though a wall." Jean's mouth dropped open and her eyes got big, Lizzie's smile got bigger. "Shadow is the sweetest person you will ever meet. The only thing is, he will not let anyone hurt me." Her hand absently came up to her neck as she said this. "You're very lucky that he didn't come with me when I was last here. You wouldn't have a front door, and I doubt I would be the one in the infirmary.

"We were both brought to the school. I am an operative, and Shadow is, but he isn't. He goes with me and Kert on our missions, but he stays away from whomever we're dealing with. He usually stays in the hotel or apartment where we're staying, and keeps his ears and eyes on us at all times with our surveillance equipment.

"The next reason why Kert and my partnership is different is the fact that we are of different sex. Everyone else is partnered with someone from their own sex. And the last reason is that we are best friends. Don't get me wrong. We are all friends, and we usually don't fight amongst ourselves, but being the good friends that Kert and I are, our link is stronger then any of the others. We could be sitting right beside each other at dinner, and Kert could take a bite of food, and I could drink something, and I would end up chewing and he would be washing the liquid down his throat. I have one of my attacks and he shares it. He has a bad dream, and I've had it too.

"One of the disks I gave you for Dr. McCoy has the information on how our minds got linked. Do you have any questions yet?"

"I do." Jean said, "Why was this school started?"

Lizzie looked down to the floor, both a thoughtful and sad expression on her face. She was quiet for a moment, then she looked up, tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. "Because there are people in this world who are even worse then the FOH, people ten times worse then what Bastion ever thought to be." She said this in a quite voice, and her hand came up to her neck again, tracing a path from behind her ear down a little ways feeling with her fingers the scar she bore as a reminder.

"I hass foundss z girl, Masster." The little man bounced into the room and smiled up at the five-foot Chinaman sitting behind the desk. Little Man (for that was what he was called) looked all the world to be as happy as a child with a new toy. He looked as though he were about to clap his hands.

"Excellent." The Chinaman stated, a cruel smile forming on his lips as he reached a hand down to pet the top of his little pink mutant Pet. "Tell me where you fond her at last." He said sharply to the three foot tall mutant who brought him the news.

"Yess, Masster. Z wass found in Amerrreeeca, Masster. Z ssay wit peopless yous be innteressted ins." Little Man said rubbing his pudgy little hands together.

"Who?"

"Z Xss-Menss, Masster. Z Xss-Menss z sstay wit."

The Chinaman rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair. "The X-Men you say?" Little Man nodded. "The X-Men... It would seem I were soon to have more slaves. It'll be a pleasure stomping on the spirits of the X-Men. Almost as pleasurable as killing the raven haired winch." The Chinaman roared with laughter. "Pet," he called down the pink mutant sitting on the floor, "pour me a drink ... and one for our little friend I think... Yes. Bring one for Little Man." Pet nodded and stood to do as she was bid, keeping her eyes to the floor, no longer did she blush as the Master saw her in the only clothing she was aloud, an ankle length skirt.

Little Man was paying no attention to the girl. He was about to drink with the Master (or Masster as he called him), no one was ever aloud even to eat in the Master's presence, let alone drink with him. This was a most exciting day, most exciting. Maybe the Master would promote him. Promote him to guard status so he no longer would have to ware the collar. Yes, that is what the Master would do for him.

Pet came back with a glass and a bottle of rum. One glassss? Little Man asked himself. Oh, the Master would be mad that she hadn't done what he had bid her. She would be punished, Little Man hoped he could watch.

But she wasn't punished. The Chinaman pulled her down by her collar and made her once again take her place beside him on the floor. Little Man didn't know what to think.

"I thank you Little Man. But it seems your usefulness has out lived itself." He said picking up the little device Pet had brought for him in the glass. Little Man grew pale as he saw the device, and the Chinaman's smile got bigger. He did so love the suffering of others. It had almost been fun to watch his own son die by his blade, but this was better because Little Man knew what was coming.

He ran to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. He fell to his knees and begged that he be aloud to live. The Chinaman laughed and pushed the button on the device. Little Man screamed as the collar around his neck began to catch flame, and soon the rest of his body followed, leaving a withering mass on the floor until it burned itself out.

Pet screamed beside the Chinaman and clamped her hands over her mouth realizing what she'd done. She looked up at her master in time to see the smile she had come to hate and fear come to his lips. He pored himself a drink and downed it.

"Come here, Pet." He commanded as he pored himself another drink. Pet shook her head and backed away from him, only to find his smile had grown bigger. He drank his last drink and stood. Pet was now cowering in the corner, but it only took two steeps for him to reach her. He grabbed her by the ring on her collar and pulled her up to face him. "You defied me Pet. It's punishment time."

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