Tawla waved her hand through the shadows. They were thick but not too dense to vaporize quickly. In other words, they were the perfect.

Lacking LeBeau's thieving skills, she had to rely on the shadows to conceal her from prying eyes. And she did not doubt that Sinister had many eyes in his little hide-a-way.

She was ready. Since Sinister had not paid them a visit, they were making preparations to land on his doorstep like freeloading relatives. She and Remy had both decided that they could not wait Sinister out. He was either unaware of their presence or was content to await their arrival. Personally, she was betting on the later rather than the former.

She touched the smooth steel of the scythe hidden underneath the voluminous folds of her black cloak. LeBeau's reaction to the weapon was truly laughable, although she could understand his shock. The scythe had been modified to her specifications taking it a long way from its original wheat cutting origins.

The shorter handle aided her striking and the curved blade with its jagged edge meant each blow left a definite slice. A bloody but necessary advantage, especially since speed and skill didn't always win against brute strength.

Her fists clenched as she remembered the time brute strength won. The overwhelming rage and helplessness were still so fresh in her mind. She forced herself to unclench her hands and relax uneasy over the considerable amount of willpower it required. She should be beyond this by now.

She took several deep breaths to aid in the relaxation process. It was working. She turned and watched LeBeau gather his gear, giving a single nod as his signal that he was ready. She followed him to door and they left the hotel room.

Her focus began shifting to the task ahead, good. This was not time for old memories and besides, it would never happen again. Never.

"I am scared." She whispered from the chair across the desk. Charles hadn't even begun to answer her questions about Tawla when Kyler's nerve broke and her real fears surfaced. Tawla was concern but she knew, deep down, Charles would never allow one his X-men to come to grief.

That knowledge broke the wall of her defense. She desperately needed to talk to someone, especially someone who wouldn't see her as being weak. "For Remy, for me, for us, what if we're wrong? What if this doesn't bring us the peace we seek?"

"There is nothing wrong in wanting your child."

"But there is something wrong with using a child to heal old hurts?"

"I did not say that. I am naturally concerned with situation and its ramifications."

"You mean like did we think that the baby won't know us from Adam or Eve? Or maybe that he might not be healthy? Or perhaps he isn't ours?"

There was one more but she couldn't voice it even to Charles. The one worry that gave her nightmares, Remy didn't want the baby and was only adding in its retrieval for her sake.

He never gave her indication that was truth but she couldn't quench the fear. First she was pregnant and then she wasn't. They laid all the pieces on the table to begin building the picture when Sinister stepped in again. There had been little time to discuss feelings on the future except to express they wanted to spend it together.

Worry, confusion, and fear caught her in a whirlwind of emotion. She held her love for Remy as a lifeline praying the hypothetical rope was strong enough to pull her, them both through.

Her self-discussion was broken when she realized Charles had spoken and was waiting a reply. She quickly racked her brain trying to remember his words. Oh, yes. He told her they were valid concerns but was confident they could be worked out. Sure, she would just contact her fairy Godmother and ask her to wave her wand.

"You know something?" She asked as she came to an inner decision. "I appreciate your listening but Remy is the one I need to be talking to. Communication of the serious kind has been a weak point for us but that is going to change."

Kyler stood up and walked around the desk. Face pink with embarrassment, she gave Charles a brief hug.

"What was that for?" He inquired with much curiosity.

"For being my friend." She paused and gave him her best look of innocent hopefulness. "And because you're going to give me your credit card numbers. They are doing this on your largess aren't they?" She asked eagerly.

Charles nodded with a resignation. He knew what she was going to do.

She had to restrain herself from heaving a sigh of relief. It wasn't easy. "Thank you Charles. I can see that you doubt the wisdom of this but if I could only get a glimpse of Remy and see that he is all right I think it would ease my mind to no end."

Charles began to speak but in her enthusiasm Kyler cut him off and hurried toward the door. "Tawla and Remy aren't the other ones who can track a person down. This is the computer age."

"Kyler."

Kyler waved at him but didn't stop. She disappeared down the hall bee lining for her room.

Charles stared after her with mild exasperation. He sighed and reached for the com unit on his desk.

Remy approached the unnatural black mist Tawla swirled around herself. "De buildin' tres secure. Vent shaft on de roof best way, de traps dere easy t' get 'round."

"Okay."

The simple word was as smooth and surreal as he remembered from his first encounter with her.

"Dis way den, go through de alley."

He had called it an alley but it looked different from any alleyway he had ever found himself in. This one was clean and well lighted. Polished trashcans lined the unmarked brick walls.

Remy could understand why Sinister would have chosen such a place, allowing the elite society provide his hiding place. The irony must have been appealing.

The whole damn situation was ironic. He never would have believed that Sinister held his future. Yet, there it was. Maybe it wasn't so ironic. Sinister was his past and present, why not the future. It certainly made a complete circle.

Remy made a noise of self-disgust. No wonder he had never contemplated a life of philosophy. A man could get tangle in all the threads.

"Everything all right?"

Damn, he needed to pay attention. The snort must have been loud. He couldn't get a good look at her features but the wary concern was apparent in her tone.

"Oui." He grabbed a rung on the rope ladder he had secured on the back of the building when he had examined the roof. Tawla was already half way up sort of floating around it.

"You fly?"

A foot flashed out the shadows and tapped him on his head. "No," the voice was definitely amused. "I have to climb just like you. Gathering the darkness takes energy. It is easier to hold onto the shadows than gather them again when I need them. Rest assured LeBeau. I am as solid as you are."

She paused thoughtfully. "At least for now."

That sounded ominous. He opened his mouth to ask her what the hell she meant but quickly snapped it closed. His senses were screaming at him, sending shivers of awareness down his back.

The way the hairs on the back of his neck were reacting he knew it was going to be bad. He looked to the rooftop. Yep, it was bad.

Sinister stood near the ladder looking down, practically gleaming with satisfaction. Footsteps at the end of the alley preceded Scalphunter and Blockbuster.

"LeBeau," Sinister, with a grin splitting his face, called down. "I grew bored waiting for you."

His turned fascinated attention to Tawla. "Ah, the reclusive Reaper." The grin twisted into a wolfish smile that bared sharp teeth. "Just the person I want to meet."

To be continued

Comments? Jleskridge@aol.com