Remy and Lorna, Remy's office

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Lorna brings Remy lunch and checks up on him. They tease each other a great deal and Lorna updates him on her life. Remy has something for Lorna and she's not particularly pleased about it.



Lorna rapped sharply on the door to Remy's office. She knew he was inside and so called impishly through the door, "Room Service. You want me fluff your pillow?" Over her shoulder hovered a covered stainless steel tray. She was still leaning on crutches though she'd be getting her cast off soon, thank God.

Remy grinned and got up to open the door, peeking around to see Lorna.

"Won't dat Alex object, chere?" He said, opening it wider to let her in. Remy took the tray so she could navigate through and into a chair across from his desk. He placed it carefully on the blotter and sat down. "Still playing private chef?"

"Hey, they say go with what you know." Lorna laughed and flopped herself down in the chair, "Though I have no idea what that means because that seems like a stupid plan. I mean, how do you ever learn anything new that way, right?" She smiled at him. "Anyway, I brought you lunch because I'll bet you didn't have breakfast. Am I right?"

"Dere was coffee at some point." Remy looked suitably admonished. One of the things that Lorna liked to point out was that no matter how jacked up LeBeau's metabolism was, it couldn't run on nothing. The lecture was usually accompanied with something hot and fresh from the oven, so he didn't mind that much. "Been a busy few weeks, chere. Not always easy to fit in three square meals."

"Bah. You normals. I don't know how you people manage. I swear to God, I think about food like 5 hours out of every 6. Skipping meals takes effort." Lorna shook her head and waved the cover off the tray. "Big hearty sammich, which is totally a real culinary term by the way, yummy soup, french fries even though they go against every grain of my soul and even dessert." She batted her eyelashes at him. "Tell me how great I am?"

"Chere, if it wasn't for de fact dat seventeen people would jump up and down on Remy's face for doing iso, I was kidnap your for my own dis very minute." Remy grinned and leaned back for the coffee pot. He held up a mug. "Coffee?"

"As if I'd ever say no." Lorna responded. "Black as midnight, black as pitch, if you please." She rested her head on the back of the chair, her hair spilling around her messily. "How are you, my Cajun crumpet? Other than still an outrageous flirt."

"I'm not a flirt, chere. I very firmly mean everything dat I say. You just haven't taken me up on it." Remy grinned and passed over the cup of coffee. "Been busy, which involves making Jake do all sorts of things dat he hates. Puts a smile on my face."

Lorna clasped the mug greedily, like a miser hoarding gold. "Poor, poor Jake. If he wasn't making a very serious attempt to double our grocery bills all by himself, I'd feel bad for him. As it is? Sic em, Remy." She giggled and sipped her coffee, first taking a moment to simply inhale the aroma like the good caffeine addict she was. "You should be eating."

"Oui, maman." Remy quipped and took a large bite of the sandwich. He chewed with obvious relish, following it up with an even larger bite. "So, what you been up to while Remy dodging bullets in Europe?" He said around the mouthful, applying himself to the meal.

Lorna smiled in satisfaction and gave his question some thought. "Well, I swept Paige off to Disneyland. Introduced her to my parents which happily, left no scars on either party. Brought her back and then had to scold Forge for ruining her good mood. Um…Hank poisoned me with his soup of the devil…or was that before you left? I didn't dodge any bullets though I did get to experience the joys of physical therapy which is worse." She shrugged, "You know, the usual."

"You and Paige in Disneyland, neh? How is dat femme doing?" She still hadn't dropped by his office yet, and Remy got the feeling that he was going to have to hunt her down if he expected that talk to happen.

Lorna sighed, "Well, when I had her in California she was doing well. Now that she's back…who knows. I don't think she does." Lorna frowned into her coffee. "I try not to change people. I mean, not that I won't be there and help push. Like you and Alison for me last year, you know? But change has to be chosen first and I don't think Paige knows she's got a choice yet. So I worry."

"Makes sense. Dat one has issues dat she doing her best not to deal wit', seems." Remy took another bite, demolishing the remainder of the sandwich. "Maybe it just a teenage thing. I remember what it was like, uh, six months ago..."

"God, wouldn't that be nice? Teenage things end when the teenager part does." Lorna eyed his plate, "Hmm, should have brought more. But I don't think your teenager thing was anything like Paige's teenager thing."

"True. I was getting more sex." Remy snarked, finishing off the sandwich. For all of his flirting, LeBeau hadn't been attached with anyone, at seemingly any level, since his return to the school; a marked change from his buzzsaw-like progress when he first appeared. "Still, at least she not blowing things up yet or anything."

"Yet." Lorna repeated gloomily then made a deliberate attempt to lighten up. "And I have a hard time believing you're not getting regular sex somewhere. You're like that guy on the show about the people on the island. Not Survivor, the good show with the hobbit. All about the seducing of pretty woman for the furthering of your mission."

"Sadly enough, non." Remy took a sip of the soup. "Between de shit wit' Wisdom, things in de school, and, to be fair," He grinned. "De discovery dat I'm 'bout fifteen years older den I thought, kind of limited de options. Like I told Cain, missed my relationship assignment and am now doomed to pine away for pretty green haired cooks of limited mobility."

"Oh surely you can find someone better to pine away over? I mean, the cook? You couldn't have gone for one of the doctors? That's a way better cliché." She grinned at him and finished her coffee.

"Well, dat Jean had me stripping in de basement. Think we a match?" He raised an eyebrow over his soup bowl.

Lorna giggled, "Not so much. I have to admit I'm biased in the favour of Scott and Jean. They were an institution but in a totally hot and non-boring way. Everyone at this school used to say their names in one breath, ScottandJean." She smiled at the memory, the first time in two years that it didn't hurt. It was so good to have Jean back.

"Dating Scott Summers... I still think he's got blackmail information or her or something for dat to happen." Remy shook his head. "So, dat leaves Bartlet, and we not 'bout to go dere, chere. I guess back to de cook and cold showers. Maybe some light stalking."

"As a former Scott Summers crusher, I can tell you it doesn't require blackmail." Lorna assured him. "Light stalking, huh? Do I dare ask who on earth you're stalking?"

"Absolutely not. Besides, I just got dat perch outsie you window comfortable, and Remy not 'bout to have to find a new one." Remy finished up the soup quickly.

She laughed, "Duly noted. I'll remember to draw the shades. Who knew that living on the second floor was so dangerous?" Grinning she held out her mug, "Can I have more coffee? Getting up is a lot of effort."

Remy snatched her cup with a long arm and refilled it from the pot. "No problem, chere. Actually, while I've got you here," He handed back the cup and fished around in his desk for a moment before coming up with a small envelope and sliding it over. "I wanted you to have this."

"More envelopes? Christ, you're not leaving again to narrowly avoid death already?" She took it with a faint sulk, leavened only by the fact that she was getting more coffee.

"Not today, but dis is part of my normal melodrama." Remy said as she opened it up and slid the small key and card out into her hand. "Look, a lot of things are going on. Pete joining up wit' de Hellfire Club has hurt us a lot more den de Professor seems to want to let on. In a lot of places, we now totally blind. Dat means someone like Magneto could get de drop on us, or even find us outmanoeuvred in de government or something. Dere are bad things on de way, Lorna, and maybe we get dem first, and maybe we don't. Remy likes to be prepared."

"And the key helps us how?" She was perfectly serious now, without even a hint of the teasing of only moments before. She ran her fingers over the key, identifying it to herself by the EM field to be sure she'd be able to grab it without needing to look.

"De address on de card. Dere's a bank of safety deposit boxes. Dat key opens one dat contains everything dat you and others need to permanently disappear; money, new identities, contacts. Even de entire CIA would have trouble tracking you down through dat." Remy's eyes caught hers in a very serious level gaze. "You strong enough to get dem out, Lorna, and smart enough to let others buy you de time to do so. I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow, or next year, or ever, but one day it might. If it does, Remy want you to be ready."

Lorna shuddered and slipped the key and card back into the envelope. "Do you have specific others that I'm suppose to take along? And who shall I sacrifice?" She leaned forward. "You know my role on the team. I'm not the girl who gets people out. I'm the front line that hits back. It's what my power does. This should go to a leader."

"Non. You'll get out, Lorna. Dat's something dat Remy make sure of. If things go bad, outside of Nate, you about de only one dat is strong enough along to cut a hole through and get out everyone dat you can." Remy shook his head. "Get them out and keep dem safe. Dat's more important den hitting back, 'specially if things get to dat point."

"Remy, I don't…" She trailed off. "Who else knows about this?"

"'manda. She got de other key. And dats all dat needs to know." Remy said quietly. "I won't pretend to say I can keep anyone safe, but at least dis way, if something goes wrong, there's a way out. Dis place, de people are too important, Lorna. And it would be so damn easy to wipe us all out."

Amanda…Christ, that was just perfect. Lorna tucked the envelope away into a pocket. "I won't be grudge you your paranoia but let's work on making sure that I never ever need this key, okay? Because just saving some isn't good enough."

"Dat's de whole point of me being here, chere." Remy shrugged. "If dere's a chance to stop it, den we going to take it. Even if I have to kill Jake doing it." He finished with a grin.

"Right, let's try it without the death of people who have lived here, yeah?" Lorna sighed again. "Speaking of Jake, how are you doing on that super secret spy team you mentioned? If we've lost Pete's network, I imagine you're trying to replace it."

"Trying." Remy rubbed his face tiredly. "Wisdom's defection compromised 'bout fifty percent of our net, worldwide. In Europe, de damage is closer to seventy-five. Based on our initial analysis, maybe five percent of that is recoverable. Assets between Jake and I, and some other links dat people like Haroun and Nate have, gives us about an additional twenty-five percent in sources for Europe, and 'bout ten worldwide. End result is that dere's a lot of places dat we now totally blind, and even were we have coverage, it's half what it was."

"Did you ask Sean? It's a different side of the problem, sure but you never know what he might turn up." She offered the suggestion diffidently, figuring he had but willing to believe that it didn't hurt to mention it.

"Not yet. Homme comes and goes as much as I do. Most of his contacts are twinned wit' Interpol, so I'm not sure how much he'll be able to share." Remy sighed. "So, unless Pare Noel drops an intelligence net in our laps, Jake and I have a lot of work to do."

"I'll ask for it. I'm on Santa's good list while you, my dear friend, probably aren't." She smiled and ran her hand through her hair. "I should get going. I've got work to do and more physical therapy to boot. Come here and help me stand up."

"You know, calling me naughty is not 'xactly a bad thing, chere." Remy got up smoothly and took her hand as she struggled to her feet.

She braced herself against his shoulder while she adjusted her crutches. "I just call 'em like I see 'em, cher." She kissed his cheek quickly. "But I like you anyway. Make sure you eat dinner."