Monday, lunchtime, Jamie and Rogue catch up.

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Jamie and Rogue finally run into each other over sandwiches and make light conversation about nontraumatic kinds of mayhem.

They also strike a deal that may seriously inhibit the new students' ability to get away with things. But hey, everybody needs a challenge in their lives.



It was, by Jamie's estimation, Leftovers Sandwich Day, which was almost as fun as Eat All the Half-Bowls of Ice Cream Left in the Cartons Day; quite possibly the biggest perk of kitchen minionry was knowing when the grocery runs were scheduled, so that he could shamelessly milk the "but I'm only making room in the fridge!" line for all it was worth.

He was about to bite into a chicken-and-beef-and-lettuce-and-meatloaf-and-mashed-potatoes-on-heel-ends-of-white-wheat-and-rye Dagwood when the kitchen door swung open; when he saw who it was, he put the sandwich down and grinned. "Well, hey, stranger. Now how is it that I'm in three or four different places in this house at any given time, I help cook every single day, I help around the grounds, I'm training every single open timeslot I can manage, and I still haven't run into you for longer than to say hi to since you got back?"

"You of all people have no excuse!" Marie mock-scolded before a grin spread across her face. "Ah seem to remember a time when Ah would run into three of you within minutes of each other…maybe Ah've become more elusive," she said with a wink. "An' Ah have no clue how we haven't managed to book a DR session together, since that's basically been my second home since Ah got back." Eyeing his sandwich warily, she shook her head. "Ah see you still have the same…interestin' eating habits."

"Well, Canada is the second home of the mysterious ninja, or so they say." Jamie grinned. "They flip out and kill people very politely up there, eh? And hey, at least nobody tries stealing my lunch anymore." He snickered quietly. "Kyle tried once, poor kid, with that sensitive stomach of his. Want me to whip you up something a little more usual, long as I'm in here?"

Giggling at the image of little Canadian ninjas running around saying please and thank you while chopping off people's heads, Rogue nodded at the offer of food. "No wonder Kit decided to keep you around permanently. A man who can multi-task and cook? Definitely a keeper." Settling into a chair, she cheerfully began talking with Jamie. "Ah guess congratulations are in order. Good to know somethings haven't changed and the two of you are still as sickeningly sweet and adorable as ever."

"Thanks," Jamie replied, a completely blitzed smile taking over his face as he brushed the ring with his thumb. "Still feels a little unreal. The amazing kind of unreal." He took a quick look around the fridge and cupboards, thinking. "Turkey salad sandwich do you? I think I can slap one of those together."

"That sounds good…and normal," she said with a sigh of relief. No turkey salad-cream cheese-jelly sandwich for her. She smiled wistfully at the look on Jamie's face…he was obviously head over heels in love.

"Hey, I only do wacky food experiments by prior arrangement," Jamie said with great dignity. "I don't inflict my mad culinary genius on just anyone. But yeah, Kitty and I are good. Really good." He shot Rogue a wry look. "How's the RA job going? The new kids keeping you busy?"

"Oh not at all. There have been no frantic emails or shouts of 'Ms. Marie, Ah can't live with her' or 'Hewas using his powers to peep in the shower' or 'Ms. Marie, my roommate set my wall on fire'," she said dryly. "But it's keeping me busy which is a good thing…they really are a good group, so Ah shouldn't have to resort to chucking any of 'em in the lake anytime soon." With a twinkle in her eye, she continued "And Ah haven't seen any signs of a mini-Jamie in the bunch, so Ah won't go all white by the end of the year."

"Oh, it's the kids you're worrying will turn you the rest of the way white?" Jamie asked mischievously. "What, and here's me with keys to way more of the mansion than I've ever had before? Clearly I'm going to have to work on giving those poor unenlightened newbies an example to live up to before I turn completely respectable in my old age."

Waggling her finger at him, the serious look on her face was offset by the upwards twitching of the corners of her mouth. "James you wouldn't dare!" Pausing momentarily, she finally succumbed to the grin. "Who am Ah kiddin'? Of course you would. Rumor has it, you've been the root of more teachers goin' gray than anybody ever." Note to self…beware!

"Why Miss Marie, what a horrible thing to say." Jamie's (well-practiced) expression of maligned innocence was, as usual, flawless, but it melted into a grin of his own after a moment. "It's not even factually accurate, y'know, I was homeschooled for three years so I didn't have as many teachers as most people. Besides, then I came here and the Professor didn't have any hair, and Ms. Munroe was . . ." He took a theatrical glance over his shoulder and raised his voice slightly. ". . . a perfectly lovely, becoming, and regal shade of silver that nobody with a soul could possibly call grey."

Marie was glad that she had nothing in her mouth while Jamie was talking, as the laugh that his last statement caused would surely have resulted in her snorting whatever it was through her nose. "Ah think Ah would have quit if you'd been one of my students…that or Ah'd have been fired for getting' my revenge." The smile on her face made it apparent that there was little seriousness in her words. Resting her chin on her hand, she gave him an appraising look. "Actually…perhaps Ah should use you as a resource. Ah'd be more than happy to look the other way for your pranks if you would teach me how you did half the stuff you did."

"Aaah." Jamie made a wise face as he presented Rogue with her turkey salad sandwich. "The ways of the Prank mysterious are, yes. And always does the Dark Side lurk! Wait it does, for the unwary, mmm." He shot her a lopsided smile. "Timing and ingenuity, basically, though a working knowledge of kitchen-sink chemistry doesn't hurt. I could probably show you a couple things, yeah. You interested in being able to tell when the kids have something planned, or getting 'em back after they do?"

"For figurin' out when they have something planned, of course. Ah am a respectable young lady." The innocent look on her face was ruined by the twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Aaah." Jamie tapped the side of his nose and winked. "Then we'd definitely better run you through the whole gamut of possibilities. Because, you know those kids, there's no telling what they're gonna come up with."

Marie didn't know if to laugh or groan. Her next year at Xavier's was going to be interesting, that was for sure. "So how is DR training going?" she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"It goes," Jamie said equably, settling back into his chair and picking up his own sandwich. "They tell me I'm doing pretty well, anyway." He laughed suddenly. "You weren't back yet, but did you hear what Alison set me up with for my first session?"

"Oooh, Ah sense a story...an' probably a good one." Taking another bite of her sandwich, she looked at him expectantly.

"It's only good if you're not me. Well, no, it was pretty funny for me too." Jamie snorted, remembering. "She trapped me in Jell-O, basically. Completely paralyzed, and I had to figure out a way to dupe and get myself out. Ended up clicking my teeth together really hard." He rolled his eyes, taking a big bite of his Dagwood by way of emphasis. "Then, of course, because it's Alison, it got worse."

"Ah'm surprised you just didn't try to eat yourself out," she teased between mouthfuls. Food always tasted better when someone else prepared it, especially when that somone was particularly good at making things.

"Couldn't move my neck far enough to get my teeth at the edge of my air-bubble. Besides, c'mon, it'd've tasted horrible. Think who we're talking about." Jamie scooped up a bit of runaway lettuce and continued. "Well, after I got out of the cube, she melted it . . . and it turned into this, I dunno, like an oil-slick on the floor. I went skidding every which way--did you ever see 'The Transporter?'"

Marie managed to nod before laughing. "Wow...Ah gotta give credit to Alison...how'd you end up?"

"A dozen of me sprawled all over the floor. Couldn't get up. And she told me the only thing I had to do was leave the room." Jamie shook his head ruefully. "Once I pushed off myself a few times, got some momentum, I was able to aim myself out the door okay, but it was like Mudslide Ballet in there." He grinned evilly. "I got my revenge, though. Went and gave a bunch of people big surprise hugs before I went and showered off the slime, and told them who was responsible."

"You always were a trouble maker," she said before polishing off the rest of her sandwich. Ah sure could use a silly DR run like that though...we all could. "See now Ah'm wondering what kind of revenge people cooked up to get you back for them gettin' slimed."

"Most people didn't mind too much. Rahne actually kinda liked it." Jamie snickered. "Angie pulled out the umlaut army, of course."

"And you loved every minute off it, didn't ya?" Grinning, she cleared her plate then grabbed a soda out of the fridge. "See, that's the kind of excitement Ah missed around here. The fun and games aspect of wackiness at the mansion."

"Yeah, well." Jamie gave a wry shrug, popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth. "We get enough of the other kind of excitement, I figure somebody oughta try balancing things out a little. 'Sides, it keeps everybody on their toes."

"Yeah. We all need a little balance in our lives," she said softly before popping open the can.

"And yet we all live here. We are, when we stop to think about it, very odd people." Jamie raised his glass of milk in ironic salute.

Raising her soda in response, Marie took a sip and then smiled at Jamie. "So how 'bout you give me my first lesson into the way of the prank? Ah have a feeling Ah'm gonna need it soon.

"With this crowd, you may already be too late." Jamie thought for a minute. "Okay, lemme send a dupe up to my room for some basic supplies, and we'll get started."