The Marvel characters are their property. The other characters are
mine. No profit was made from this.

Keri Wilson

             LEBEAU PREPARATORY SCHOOL
             Chapter 6: Changes

Renee was home from the Academy for a vacation. She had a happy 
surprise for her parents. She could control the absorbing power now.

For four years she had done as her parents advised, and just worn the 
gloves. The very first day she was at the Academy though, that changed. 
Emma told her she would be able to control the power without it making 
her sick. "You must practice every day until you can". 

Sean, although not pushing so hard, agreed with Emma. Emma never lied 
about these things. Sean reduced it to every other day for her to 
practice. At the beginning that was a incredible relief the days she 
could relax. It was a horrendous experience every time. Renee hated it. 

It was many months before she could control it without being at least 
a little sick afterwards, just a dull headache as a result. She could 
live with that, and Emma even told her she couldn't naturally move 
beyond that. Renee wanted to be able to control the power, and didn't 
want to upset her parents, so she didn't tell them until she was able 
to. Then she just sprung it on them like it was something that just 
happened naturally. Both Tara and Remy suspected something, but neither 
came right out and asked. It seemed almost ironic to Renee, this time 
it was her father she knew she'd have to keep from learning the details 
of what happened. He'd want to beat Sean's and Emma's heads in, for 
making his child suffer so badly, just so she could control her powers. 
Mama would understand why Renee had wanted to keep trying despite the 
pain. Intellectually Daddy would eventually understand, but not to the 
degree mama would almost immediately.

She finally caught her mother away from her father one day. Tara was 
taking her turn with nursery duty. For now it wasn't too hard, there 
was only one baby there. Piotr and Kitty's daughter Kayley, who was 
two and a half. 

When Renee walked into the nursery the baby was sleeping, and her 
mother was just sitting quietly in a rocking chair reading.

"Mama?" Renee asked quietly.

"What is it, shugah?"

"You know about me being able to control the power, mom?"

"Uh huh, what about it?"

"Well...it....I..."

"It wasn't as easy as yah told us?"

"Yeah...It took almost the whole time I've been at the Academy 
to be able to..."

"Control it to the amount yah can?"

Renee nodded. "Don't tell daddy it was that hard for me."

"Ah won't. Ah know yoah daddy even bettah than you do! He'll rage and 
threaten Emma and Sean. He won't do anythin', but, I'd rather not have 
him angry about something that's past, that he can't do anything about, 
and that you wanted to do anyways." She looked at her daughter 
knowingly, and smiled briefly. Remy was right, Renee did have a lot of 
her in her personality. She shook her head and grinned, she would get 
mah stubborn streak! Remy could be determined too, though. This 
stubborness, though reminded Tara of herself. "Ah'm mad at them, 
especially Emma, ah'm sure she didn't let up for a minute. Ah'm sure 
she pushed you harder than yah shoulda been. Ah know if ah had that 
chance that you had, ah would have taken it, no matter how long it took 
me to learn it, or how hard it was... Come here, baby."

Renee came over to her mother, and Tara hugged her close. Then Tara 
asked, "How long did yah have the aftereffects we saw?"

"A couple of months. Then it slowly started to go down, till now I can 
do it and just have a dull headache afterwards. It doesn't even tire me
out much anymore."

"Good."

"Oh and more good news, mama. Look." Renee moved away from her mother
and took a bouncing step that launched her a few feet off the floor, 
Renee hovered in the air and grinned. 

Tara smiled. "Now that you can tell yoah daddy all about!"

"Yeah, he'll be thrilled for me, especially with the way I was always 
climbing trees, when I was younger."

"And still do." Tara had seen her now fifteen and a half year old 
daughter climbing her favorite tree when she came home for vacation, 
two days ago.

Renee blushed, she thought no one had seen her.

Tara smiled,"Shugah yoah mama was a world class tomboy, don't be 
embarassed."

Renee was though, everyone was always commmenting to her nowadays how 
much she reminded them of her mother. She knew it wasn't her looks. 
Everyone said she looked more like daddy every day, so it had to be 
the way she acted, how embarrassing!

"You might not have heard this yet, since you were gone on a training 
mission when it happened. Your younger sister Regina has mah power 
too."

Renee looked horrified, "Gina's got it too...?"

"Well not exactly like yoah's, Hank said it's almost like a mirror 
image of yoah's, she can't use it unless she concentrates, and she can 
only get the powers, and that only very briefly."

Renee was relieved for her sister. She got the benefit of the power, 
without the drawbacks. Guess mom and dad feel the same way. "Moma, it 
looks like maybe it is only active in girls. Richard doesn't have it, 
and Roger hasn't shown any sign of it either. If that's true- "

"Rowena, ah know, your father and ah already talked about that when 
Regina tested for it." Tara looked at her oldest child. Renee seemed 
so grown up at times, now. Then thinking about her tree climbing, other 
times she was still a child, but still, Renee was almost grown now, and 
taller than her mother to boot!  More of Remy's genes there. Tara was 
tall for a woman, at 172 centimeters, but her daughter was already 175 
centimeters. It made Renee and her boyfriend Lotan Lee, look a little 
funny together. She towered over him by a good 11 or 12 centimeters, 
and considering his parents, she doubted if Lotan would get any taller, 
as it was, he was taller than his parents and his twin brother. If that's 
the only problem they'll have they'll be lucky. Renee is levelheaded 
though, Tara laughed to herself, in spite of her parents! Ah'm not that 
worried about her, it's Richard ah'm worried about. This vacation hasn't 
gone well for Remy and him. They get on each others nerves. I've heard 
more than one heated exchange between the two of them in the past couple 
of days. Ah can only hope it's just what Remy thinks it is, or at least 
what Remy tells me he thinks it is, the "normal" thing that fathers and 
sons go through in the teen years. Ah think it's more, but ah don't know 
what. Deep down, ah think Remy's worried about it too. It seems worse 
than what ah saw even Scott and his son doing last Thanksgiving. Even 
that seemed a bit strong, neither Ian or Mathias were that hostile to 
their fathers, and Andrew certainly wasn't that way at all. Remy's 
proud of him, making excellent grades in medical school. Maybe that's 
it, Richard feels like he doesn't measure up in Remy's eyes to his older 
half brother. Ah don't know...

Renee saw her mother was lost in thought, so she quietly left the room. 
Renee had a good idea what her mother was thinking about, what with the 
troubled look on her face. Richard. It had to be. Renee thought her 
brother had been acting weird for the past year. He always was a bit 
petulant, but now he was downright hostile. Except when he was hanging 
out with Louis and Scotia. That was about the only times he seemed happy. 
Renee didn't know any more than her parents about what was bothering 
Richard. She'd even asked Louis and Scotia if they knew. Louis said 
Richard never talked about that stuff to him, and Scotia said she didn't 
know for sure, she could tell it was something to do with their dad, 
but that was it. That had been no help, Renee had figured that out for 
herself, without being a telepath! What she wanted to know was, what was 
it about their father that made Richard so angry? It was strange, Renee 
had not met anyone who outright hated her father. Even that weirdo woman 
Candra liked her father, but in a sick twisted way. Who knows, maybe 
it'll be like dad said, he'll grow out of it. Knowing her brother better 
than her other siblings did, and maybe even better than her parents did, 
she wondered...

"Hey, Letta, your brother is sitting out on top of the barn scowling, 
refusing to talk to anyone." Lotan said when Renee walked into the 
kitchen to get something for lunch.

Renee rolled her eyes, not again, she thought. She looked the window 
and saw him. Well, she thought, maybe I can get him down again. This 
time she'd enlist Richard's friends.

"Do you know where your brother and Scotia are?"

"Downstairs, shooting some pool."

"I going to see if the three of us can get him down."

"Good luck."

As Renee went downstairs, she thought, actually the three of us have 
a good chance to get him down. 

"You want to help me get Richard off the top of the barn, sulking?" 
She asked them as she walked into the rec room.

"He's doing that again?" Louis rolled his eyes.

"Poor Richard, I wonder what's wrong?" Scotia said sympathically. She 
put down her pool cue and walked upstairs, Renee and Louis followed her.

"Hey let's take him out somewhere." Louis suggested.

"That's a good idea, having fun will get his mind off what's 
troubling him." Scotia concurred.

"You all go on, I'm going to eat lunch." Renee said

"With Lotan?" Scotia said teasingly.

Louis snickered.

Richard's two friends did manage to get him down, which was a good 
thing, considering the other activities that occured shortly after 
within the barn.

************************************************************************


Tara and Remy walked into the barn. Remy with a broad grin and Tara 
looking around to make sure no one else was in the barn. When she saw 
nothing but the two horses she relaxed and smiled back at him.

"Ah feel a little silly, sneakin' out tah the barn, tah play this game."

"Your idea, chere. Y' be de one who told me one of your fantasies 
`bout me, was me seducin' y' in a barn."

"Hush, about that, or I won't be in the mood anymore."

Remy grinned and pulled her to him abruptly, then kissed her hard on 
the mouth. 

Soon they were lying in the clean hay removing clothes and touching and 
kissing each other all over. About that time Logan pulled Jubilee in
to the barn. Logan immediately smelled Tara and Remy, and what they 
were doing, but he continued to walk in the barn anyway. Jubilee 
sensed what was happening, but with a bit of her old naughtiness she 
snuck up to where she could watch what Tara and Remy were doing, and 
pulled Logan along with her. They stayed in their hiding place until 
Tara and Remy left.

"Jube, I want you right now." Logan said almost insistently as soon as 
Tara and Remy were out of earshot.

"Oh, and I'm suppossed to do something about that?" She answered 
sarcastically. She wanted him as bad as he did her, but there was still 
a tiny part of her that hesitated, remembering what happened when she 
was eighteen. She knew Logan really cared about her now, she wasn't a 
child anymore, she was a woman and looked like one. She was almost 
thirty-three, not eighteen. Their boys were teenagers now. Logan felt 
more comfortable being their father now, especially Louis, who he had 
already dubbed "Junior", because he reminded him so much of himself. 
This was the third time in this week Logan had shown up, each time 
recently he had strongly hinted at his sexual interest in her. She was 
finding it harder and harder to hold back her own desires for him, and 
now was even wondering if she should hold out any longer. It was 
beginning to look ridiculous even to her, he wanted her, she wanted 
him, why not...

"I really want to, Jube. I know you want to too, I can smell it on 
you."

"Oh, what the hell!" Jubilee tumbled them down to the floor and 
quickly took off her clothes, and helped Logan get his off faster. 
They made love excitedly. Then got dressed and walked back to the 
house. 
*******************************************************************

"Roger, stop it." Mary Summers giggled as Roger LeBeau kissed her
again.

"Yes do." Her cousin, Deborah Dane Summers teased, "kiss me 
instead." Roger grinned and kissed her too.

"My dad would kill me if he knew what we were doing." Mary smiled,
but looked nervous, if expecting her father, Scott Summers to appear
out of nowhere.

"So would mine." Deborah laughed, not scared of her father, Alex
Summers, in the least, "Your mom would kill you too," she teased,
my mom would just give me the `be careful' lecture, same as the
grown ups here."

Roger liked both girls and they didn't mind sharing so the three
adolescents were carrying on a sort of three way relationship.
Truefully, he liked Mary a bit more, but Deborah was fun and 
Mary was actually a bit more relaxed with her cousin around, 
she was a bit shy when they were alone. 

The trio would be seperated soon when Deborah and Mary went to the 
Massachusetts Academy. Roger still had another year before he joined 
them. None of the trio were looking forward to their coming 
seperation. The two girls sat on either side of him with their heads
against his shoulders. After a few minutes of silence Deborah 
laughed softly, "Of course, you dad doesn't think you should be
hanging out with any LeBeau at all."

Mary's mouth turned downward, she quoted her father, "The only
ones worse are the Lee boys." Scotia and her both had heard this
ten million times. Their parents had hoped Scotia would be 
attracted to Ian MaTaggart-Cassidy. Ian was kind of boring though.
He admired her dad and tried to act as much as possible like him.
Scotia liked wild boys though. Mary thought he was okay, but she
liked a guy with a bit more charm. Her uncle probably wouldn't 
be quite as uptight about it, especially Christopher's attraction
to Regina LeBeau. Her dad wasn't even all that happy about John's 
brief
crush on Renee LeBeau. Renee, while a tomboy, is not wild at all 
with her relationship with Lotan Lee. John got over Renee though.
Right now he was dating Lucy, this girl he met at a bookstore.
She wasn't a mutant, but was very promutant rights. Mary wasn't 
pleased at her father's irrational dislike of the LeBeau's and 
Lee's.
*****************************************************************

"Hey, Gina what color panties do you have on today?"  Christopher
Summers brazenly asked.

Regina LeBeau smirked, "Guess right and I might give you a peek."

"Pink?"

"Nope." She grinned, "Try again."

"Purple?"

"Nah, don't like purple. Last chance." Her eyes danced with 
amusement.            
    
"Uh...uh....Green!"

"Fraid not." Regina laughed and ran away. 

Christopher ran his hand through his hair in frustration, he
never got the right color! 

********************************************************************

For the first time Logan stayed overnight. He stayed down in 
the kitchen until he thought even Tara and Remy were asleep. Then he 
snuck into Jubilee's bedroom, because she didn't want anyone to know 
they were involved yet. Logan and Jubilee made love, muffling their 
lovemaking noises as much as possible. 

Across the hall, though, Remy, still awake next to his sleeping wife, 
heard the muffled sounds from across the hall. Wolverine growled a bit
when he did the deed, and that carried. Remy grinned, and thought, 
"It  finally happen. Knew it was coming." 

*********************************************************************

Tara didn't find out until nearly a week later, when she came upstairs 
to shower change her clothes. She had being playing volleyball with 
the kids. In the summer heat she had quickly become hot and sweaty. 
Since it was the weekend they had no classes. When she reached the top 
of the stairs she heard the unmistakable sounds coming from Jubilee's 
room. 

Tara blushed a little and quickly and quietly went into her and Remy's 
room. She said nothing to Jubilee since she obivously wanted to keep 
it a secret for now. 

That night she mentioned it to Remy. 

Remy laughed, "Dey been carrying on like dat for at least a week. Heard
dem last week, after y' went t' sleep." 

She said teasingly, with mock offense, "Why didn't yah tell me then. Ah 
woulda been prepared then, when ah came up the stairs tahday." 

They laughed together.