Marvel owns these characters I am only using them and I will try to return them in the condition that I got them, well most of them anyway. No profit or glory am I gaining from this story.

Once everyone materialized inside the mansion, Scott whispers in his wife's direction. " Jean, scan for Wolverine and the Marauders, find out who else is in the mansion. I don't want to walk into a trap." He motions with his hand for Beast, Psylocke and Hepzibah to follow him down to the detention cells.

" Scott, I am only reading Logan and his life signs are extremely weak." Jean responds with a worried look on her face. " Almost unreadable, down in the cells."

Beast takes off running towards Jean's directions. He is the first one to reach Wolverine and makes a quick diagnose. " We have to get him to med lab now." He carefully picks up Logan and rushes toward his lab, praying all the while that his friend's healing factor would save him.

Ten minutes later, Rogue, with Bishop and Ch'od quickly enter the mansion to get the news from a very concerned Cyclops. While he was telling them what had happened, Warren and Raza come in. " I wish I had went with my first instincts and left some of the X-men here to help Logan."

" Scott, you know Logan, he would have jumped down your throat if you had done that." Warren replies as he notices Jean coming back into the room. " How is he, Jean?"

" Hank says he will be alright and his healing factor is kicking in as is his attitude." Jean smiles a little after seeing the relief looks coming from their faces. " Logan said that Vertigo freed the others and killed Prism. And from what Hepzibah and Betsy have discovered, it seems that Sinister opened a portal and the Marauders escaped by using it."

" We had them and we let them get away." Warren slams his fist into his open palm. He starts to pace back and forth as a wind blows through the living room announcing the arrival of Storm and Gambit. He angrily shoves his way past the two and mutters something about getting some fresh air.

" What is Logan's condition, Scott." Ororo asks as she ignores Angel's rude exit. While she was informed, Remy left to join Hank in the med lab. Beast was involved in a rather heated argument with his patient.

" Yer either gonna let me outta here or I'm gonna let ya join me in one of these beds, Hank." Wolverine growls. " Ain't nobody gonna keep me in here while I'm breathin' an' those Marauders are out there laughin' at what they think they did to me."

" Ol' Wolverine should have listened t' Gambit when he had de chance, no." Remy came into the room watching the exchange between his two friends. " Mebbe Gambit should have stayed b'hind an' let Logan go out an' eat wit' de rest of de X-men."

" Ya think ya coulda done better, kid?" Logan huffs as he glares hard at Hank, who had a needle in his hand. " What I need is a good cigar not that thing yer pointin' at me. Stick me with it an' yer gonna be sorry."

" You know Logan, I have had better patients that were enemies of the X-men, than you could ever hope to be." Hank puts the needle on the table and turns to Gambit. " A word of advice my friend, leave him alone before he bites your head off."

Remy tosses a cigar at Logan, who catches it in mid air. " Hey, my brand, yer finally gettin' some taste, Gumbo. Where did ya get 'em?"

" Your room."

" What!" Wolverine screams in an outrage. He tries to get up but Hank's strong hands holds him in place.Logan shoots him a threatening glare in which Henry just ignors him. Wolverine snarls at the Cajun. " Come here an' tell me that again."

" Uh, Gambit hears Scotty callin'." Remy moves past Beast almost knocking over the laughing doctor in the process. Wolverine's curses raining on both men.

Several days later, Lilandra had sent her best technicians to repair the mansion and replace what Bastion had stolen with better equipment. The repairs completed, Corsair and the Starjammers decided it was time for them to return to space.

" Dad, you know you don't have to leave." Scott tells his father. He and Jean were outside on the mansion's front lawn walking towards the cloaked Starjammer. " We just got the family back together and now you are leaving."

" Scott, you know I have missions that many planets up there depend on the Starjammers coming through from them. " Corsair points upward and then glances back in Alex's direction. " I would give anything to spend more time with you and your brothers but duty calls."

" Yeah," Scott sighs deeply as his younger brother walks over to the trio.

" Dad, looks like this is goodbye." Alex shakes his father's hand. Several minutes later, the three step back as the Starjammer blasts off .

Commotion coming from behind, they turn around to see Logan stomping up in their direction, puffing his cigar. " I see that Hank turned you loose." Alex replies but quickly cuts the conversation short after noticing Wolverine's angry glare.

" Shudup!" Logan snaps as he sniffs the air. " Not mixin' words with ya Slim or anybody else until I settle some scores." A huge grin creeps across his face as he catches the scent he wants. " Gotcha!" He takes off towards the lake and the small cottage that Scott and Jean share.

" Jean, who is Wolverine after now?" Scott sighs. " He shoved Bobby into a bookcase just because he stared at him funny yesterday." Cyclops turns his attention to his wife. " I know you care about Logan, Jean, but his ego does not come first. We are a team, he needs to learn that."

Alex rolls his eyes and shakes his head. " While you are preaching Big Brother, Logan is making a punching bag out of one of the team. And I am willing to guess it is Gambit."

" He's your little brother, Scott." His wife grins. " And Logan is not in a happy mood. If you going to do something, you better do it now."

" I'll handle Logan." Alex takes off in a run. He did not have far to go to reach the dock. Noticing that Wolverine was on top of Gambit, he calls out. " You want to get off him, Logan."

Wolverine turns his head in Alex's direction, his body still pinning Remy on his back. " Ya keep yer nose outta this Havok, or I might turn ya into swiss chess." He jams his claws into the wood trapping Gambit's head in between them. " Now Cajun we got some unfinished business don't we."

" C'mon Logan, you know Remy only kiddin'." Gambit explains. " Don' take it out on me b'cause de Marauders kicked your ass."

" Watch yer mouth boy," Logan releases his hold on his so called prisoner and gets to his feet. He offers his hand to Remy and once Gambit takes it, Wolverine not so gentily yanks him up. Remy only flips in the air and lands gracefully on his feet. " Stinkin' Marauders are gonna regret not killin' me."

" Get over it, Logan." Alex makes a face before following his brother back towards the mansion. He knew he was getting a glare from Wolverine but ignors it. Smiling he only shakes his head.

BILLINGS MONTANA

The Marauders stand outside Sinister's laboratory, no one wanting to enter. Essex was involved in a live dissection and the Marauders were not eager to interrupt. Knowing Sinister's mood, he was liable to use one of them as his next subject.

" Strange Harpoon hasn't reported in yet." Blockbuster tells the others. " Not like him to go AWOL."

" Worthington was the one who yanked him out of the mansion." Riptide shrugs his shoulders. " You don't think he," He pauses and then breaks into a huge grin. " Naw, we are talking about that wimp Worthington."

Screams are coming from inside the laboratory, snapping to attention, the Marauders were dreading what was about to happen. The door slides open and Sinister walks through it. " Bring me another one, or one of you will take their place."

Scalphunter quickly takes the lead and leaves the hallway. Arclight follows behind his heels, both pick up their pace to get as much distance between them and Nathaniel Essex. They end up in the throne room, as Sinister tends to call it when he has his special chair moved to the new base.

" You want to grab a homeless this time?" Arclight offers a suggestion. " It could be quick and in his mood right now, it will buy us some time."

" Janos," Scalphunter motions to Riptide. " take Kim with you. Do as Arclight suggests." He adds. " Philippa and I will stay here and await your progress." Pacing back and forth he begins to shake his head. " There has to be a way to turn Essex's anger away from us and direct it back towards the X-men, but,"

" LeBeau is the one who got us into this mess. If he hadn't turned on Sinister we wouldn't be in this predicament." Arclight interrupts the Marauder leader. She folds her arms and angrily glares back at Scalphunter. " I'm tired of remaining loyal to Nathaniel Essex and being rewarded with a kick in the teeth."

" How correct you are, Philippa." Sinister suddenly speaks from behind them. The Marauders turn around and face him. Essex shows no emotion as he approaches them. " Sinister has misjudged his son's true loyalty." He narrows his eyes into slits as he folds his arms almost daring the Marauders to interrupt him. " Remington, will be dealt with harshly." He glares right at Scrambler. " But I will deal with the boy, my way!"

" Yeah, right." Scrambler huffs. " You'll probably slap him on the wrist just like always."

Arclight jabs her elbow into Kim's side. " Shut your trap, Sung." She whispers. " You want to be stretched out on one of the Boss's tables?"

" No allow Scrambler to speak." Sinister sits down on his throne chair, he leans his back into the chair and asks. " Well?"

" Sir, meaning no disrespect but LeBeau has you wrapped around his little finger." Kim speaks his mind but after doing so, he held his breath knowing full well that he just risked Sinister's wrath.

" Indeed!" Sinister raises an eye brow. He was almost amused with Scrambler's bravery to stand up to him, but he also begins to realize that maybe the Marauder had a point. And if that was the case, Essex knew he had a weakness that his enemies could exploit. " Scrambler, surely you must know with all your years being associated with the Marauders that Sinister always has a hidden agenda. Everything that has happened was because I have willed it. The Marauders being captured in order for Vertigo to return to the fold." He smiles craftily at the woman behind the other Marauders. " Did you do as I commanded?"

" Yes, Essex. I planted one of the bugs inside their phone system so you can monitor all Xavier and his team's phone calls." Vertigo answers while watching the reactions of her follow team mates. She had to laugh to herself, they were in shock and one does not see the Marauders display emotions. " Another is located in the dining room to listen in on their conversations at dinner, and the third is located in their war room to ease drop on their strategies plans, everything is as you ordered me to do, Sir."

" And Sinister's little surprise?"

" Oh that one was my pleasure Sir." Vertigo answers. " I even had the chance to make sure it was working before the X-men knew I was missing. They never questioned my where abouts at that time."

" Wait a minute," Scalphunter studies Vertigo for a second and then glares up at Essex. " You telling me that you had Vertigo betray us so you could plant her inside Xavier's mansion and you didn't tell me?" He glares harder at Sinister and he didn't make an effort to calm himself or hide his anger of the fact that one of the Marauders had gone behind his back to do a mission without his knowledge. " I am the leader of this group, nothing or nobody uses them without my knowing about it."

" You are leader because Sinister allows you to remain in that position." Essex leans forward and stares straight at Scalphunter with only a look Sinister can give. " Cross me again and I can easily appoint someone to take your place," He nods in Arclight's direction. " Someone more than eager enough to make you yesterday's bad memory."

" You allowed Vertigo and Prism to escape, us to track them to the mansion knowing full well that the X-men would come to their aid and give them sanctuary?" The Marauder leader remains angry. He wasn't about to back down no matter the threat or who issued it. " Tell me, did Prism know anything about this?"

" Prism was a waste of my genius. When Vertigo came to me about Prism's threats of defection, she offered her services to repay the traitor in full, using his stupid emotion of love for her as his downfall." Sinister tells the man. " He never was suppose to live long enough to reveal information about my base or the fact that my son was in my custody. But setbacks are just a small price to pay for the over all victory I will have in the end."

Arclight and Scalphunter look at each other and both grin before they hear Sinister's laughter. Scrambler just chuckles. He wanted nothing better than to get his hands on LeBeau and perhaps planting the seeds of disloyalty in Essex's mind could do the trick. Nobody betrays the Marauders and lives to tell about it.

Epilog

The Mansion

Upstairs as Warren walks back inside the living room, the phone rings. " I'll get it!" He grabs the phone. " Hello, Xavier Institute for higher learning."

" Warren Worthington, please."

" Speaking, what can I do for you?"

" Oh, you are going to do a lot for me, Mister Worthington, a whole lot of things."

" Who is this?"

" Oh, let's just say," The voice on the other end of the receiver begins to laugh. " I know what you did to that Marauder." The voice laughs harder. " I thought X-men do not kill in cold blood."

" I demand to know who this is."

" You will find out soon enough, Mr. Worthington, very soon indeed." The voice replies. " I will be in touch with you later to discuss our new business association." The line goes dead as Angel's hand begins to shake.

" Who was that, Warren?"

" Nobody, Betsy." He turns to her and smiles slightly. " Look, I want to be alone to think." Angel notices the look on his lover's face. " Don't worry, I will be just fine and promise to be back before our date." He gives her a quick kiss and leaves the mansion and takes to the skies.

" Well there goes, Flyboy!" A voice replies from his hiding place. " How long are you planning on staying out here in the woods?"

" Patience my prehistoric friend, my plan is working perfectly." His companion whispers. " Everything will fall into place and soon I will not have to worry about my safety from Essex."

" Just remember our deal, Sinister is to be made to suffer."

" Of course, I would not have it any other way." He laughs. " But Sinister will learn a new meaning to the word suffer before we are finished with him." Both suddenly break into a fit of laughter.

New Orleans

Alone in a huge study, a man studies several books of recent records of his business dealings, smiling he closes the books and puts them back into the bookshelf. His acquit hearing catches another presence in the room. Turning quickly, he pulls out a small gun, he has hidden just in case of a robbery as this.

" Alert as ever, Jean-Luc." The voice remarks out of the darkness.

Jean-Luc LeBeau lowers the weapon once he realizes who his visitor was. He had hoped that the visitor would never darken his doorstep again. " Why you here? Told you b'fore dat you are not welcome in my home, Essex, now get out b'fore I have you thrown out." He glares at the glowing red eyes. " I stopped you b'fore an' I can damn well do it again."

" I am here only because we share the same interest in a common goal." Sinister walks out of the shadows and stops by the large desk. He picks up one of the pictures on the desk, looking at it, he smiles. " Have you spoken to Remington recently?"

The Thieves Guild master walks over and yanks the picture out of Sinister's hand and puts it back on the desk. He sits down behind the desk and glares up at Sinister. " You suppose t' know everythin', Essex, what's de matter, you losin' your touch? De powers ain' what dey use t' be, no."

" Don't be coy with me, Jean-Luc LeBeau, Sinister can forfeit your life with a mere snap of my fingers. " Essex tells him. " It does not suit my purposes to bring you harm, but continue this snide behavior I will do just that."

Jean-Luc simply looks up and starts laughing. He was not afraid of Sinister and Essex knew it. Placing both of his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on top of his fingers, he shrugs his shoulders as if bored. " I have business t' do, Essex either tell me what you want or get out."

" I am curious, did Remington tell you that the X-men tried to kill him?" He watches the shocked reaction creep across the other man's features, he chuckles. " I take it from the look on your face that he forgot to mention it, which doesn't surprise me these days since the child prefers the company of those that do not trust him to his own father."

" I am his father, not you Essex." LeBeau angrily stands to his feet, anger replacing his sarcastic attitude. " Did you know 'bout dose nightmares he had for almost two years after I adopted him?" He glares up at the unexpressionless face of Sinister, which only makes him angrier. " No, I didn' t'ink so," He continues to glare at the scientist." Where was his lovin' father when Remy would cry himself t' sleep at night. You could have prevented dose tragedies from ever happenin' if you even cared in de least bit for dat child, but no, your research was more important dan your own son, you forfeited any claim on him when I adopted him an' raised him as my own."

" He remained in your custody, as your son only because I allowed it to happen. Remington is my property and I have reclaimed him. I no longer have need of a babysitter LeBeau, The time has come for the boy to take his place by my side rather he wants to or not." Sinister chuckles for a second and then becomes serious again. " There is no need for us to be enemies, Jean-Luc, not when you do not know the full story of the Godly X-men."

" What 'bout de X-men?" Jean-Luc continues to glare at the sciencist.

" Sinister knows full well that you do not approve of my- our son's alliance with the X-men."

" Dey are destroyin' everythin' I taught Remy." LeBeau angrily response. " He prefers t' play hero for a cause dat is senseless. Xavier's dream will only cause my son t' be killed an' I am almost tempted t' drag Remy back here." He only sighs before he suddenly remembers what Sinister had said earlier. " What do you mean de X-men tried t' kill him?"

" Remington wasn't just left to die, he was abandoned in one of the few places that the X-men would be sure he would never survive, in Antarctica." Sinister tells him, even now long after the event had happened his anger still mounts, not with just the X-men's treatment of his son, but his son's desire to remain with his enemies.

" Why?" The guild leader wanted to know. " Dere has t' be a reason," He angrily shakes his head in denial, there could never be a reason to justify what Sinister just told him. He takes his arm and slings everything off the desk. He closes his eyes and tries to think clearly. " Dis can' be true Essex, you have t' be mistaken."

" MISTAKEN!!!! If I had not arrived in time, Remington would now be dead. They condemned him because they learned his true identity." Sinister smiles to himself, his plan was working perfectly, now to push the final button. " Imagine, Jean-Luc, my son, our son lying in the snow, the winds and freezing temperatures trying to take what life that was left in him, all the time, he was wondering why they deserted him. Why they turned their backs on him, when he needed them the most." Sinister lowers his head, in an effort to show some sort of regret. " They spit on him because he is Nathaniel Essex's son."

" Dey never told Remy why dey were leavin' him b'hind?"

" No, they sentenced him without pity." Essex grabs the man by the shoulders and squeezes them. " Hold onto your hate, Jean-Luc, hold it and together we will both make those that harmed Remington pay with their lives."

" Non," He shakes his head trying to clear his mind. " I want t' talk t' Remy b'fore I do anythin'." Sighing deeply, he then sits back down. " Leave me, Essex."

Sinister nods slightly before disappearing. He knew he had just accomplished what he wanted. A door slams shut and someone new enters the room. " You b'lieve what he says, Uncle?"

" Lapen, I want you t' go t' Xavier's an' find out de truth." Jean Luc glances over at his nephew before staring a hole into the wall. " Don' let Remy know de reason you are visitin' him. I want dis information as soon as you can get it, understand."

" Oui Uncle," Lapin answers as he leaves the room. " An' what if it's true?"

" If de X-men tried t' murder my son den justice will be carried out." Jean-Luc glares at the younger man. " Guild style!"

FINIS