She had to admit it. She hadn't seen such an open expression on him since they were the two Robin Hoods of New Orleans. That had been some time ago. And she had never in her entire life seen that expression on Magnus. She soared through the air and came down to earth without a sound.

"There's my Stormy." Gambit said in greeting.

She should have known she couldn't sneak up on him.

Magnus saw her and stood up. He looked at her. "Hello Ororo. You've changed your hair."

Ororo was baffled. She cast a glance at Gambit who made motions with his hands about his head, miming a mohawk. Realization hit her. When she worked with Magnus, she had cut her hair into a mohawk. "Yes," she said pleasantly. "It grew out over time. You remember me then?"

Magnus resumed his seat on the pavement. "Not really. I get flashes of memory and I like to act on them while they are fresh."

She sat on the ground near Magnus. "So what are you gentlemen amusing yourselves with?"

Gambit laughed to himself and went back to work on his bike. Storm didn't miss his look - it couldn't have been more clear if he had shouted it. Be a little less subtle, eh Stormy? She didn't let it bother her too much.

"Well," Magnus gestured to Remy's tools pieces of Harley Davidson strewn about. "LeBeau wanted to work on his bike and I figured I'd keep him company. Is that all right?"

She felt Remy's eyes on her. "Of course it is. It was such a nice day I thought I would join you both." She smiled.

A stifled snort erupted from Gambit. Eric and Ororo turned to look at him. "Perdonez moi." He smirked. "Sorry ‘bout dat, ‘Ro. Just remembering a joke I heard not long ago." He went back to his work, a few chortles escaping him.

Storm turned her attention back to Eric, who to her surprise was trying to hide a smile as well. Goddess!! she thought. They both look like the cat who ate the canary. Remy and Magnus? Friends? Impossible!!

"So anyway Magnus," Gambit said. "I picked dis baby up in a little bike shop in New Orleans. Dirt cheap! ‘Course I had to do most of the work myself. Hey ‘Ro, you remember this thing back in Orleans?"

"It was a pile of junk if I remember correctly." She commented.

"Aw, Stormy, you wound me. I thought I had taught you better than that." He winked at her.

She found herself smiling in spite of herself. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, Remy. It was a ‘classic', forgive me please." She teased.

Remy looked deadpan at Magnus. "She mocks."

Eric laughed. "She merely doesn't appreciate it. For a woman who can soar on the winds, what is the significance of an old - ahem, pardon me- a classic motorcycle."

Ororo looked smug.

"Alors! I'm being ganged up on!" Gambit said good-naturedly. "‘Sides Lensherr, you are in the same boat, non? Considering you made it from South America to upstate New York in a matter of minutes."

Eric nodded contemplating. "Yes. Still, at this point, I would rather ride your ‘classic' there, then try that stunt again while my powers are still out of control."

"That is probably a wise move." Ororo nodded.

Sam Guthrie had purposely been avoiding Magneto since his arrival. He wasn't quite sure what to think of the situation. Of all the X-men, he had been the one under Magnus when he was one of the New Mutants. Magneto had been his teacher, and now he didn't remember any of it. He had stood by them when they had believed the X-men to have died. He was with them when Doug died.

Now, Sam wasn't quite sure what to do. Magnus had been an important factor in his life. Both good and bad. The situation with Exodus had been confusing. He had been sent to fetch those mutants deemed worthy to live among the stars. Sam had refused the offer, but Magnus had saved Rusty and Skids from Stryfe's brainwashing.

Now Rusty was dead, because he had stayed with Magnus. Rusty had suffered the same as Doug. Sam couldn't help himself, a part of him would always blame Magnus. He had failed them -- he had failed them when they had needed him most.

Cable would say that Sam was looking at Magnus with the eyes of a boy. Cable would say that you couldn't hold death against a man, because death comes to everyone. It's no one's fault. Cable had had more than his share of experience with it. Sam figured he had a point. Then his thoughts paused. He remembered what Magnus had done to Cable. He had torn him to pieces, using his magnetic powers and Cable's techno-organic body to the utmost. He had very nearly destroyed Cable.

Sam could hold that against the man. He hadn't killed Cable. He had just tried to.

Remember Eric, he told himself. Magnus closed his eyes. You must remember. He was so tired of living in the dark. He wanted to know why everyone was so uncomfortable around him. He wanted to know why they seemed so surprised to see him laugh. What was so wrong with him?

Images came. The little blond girl in the burning house. The beautiful woman running away from him in terror. A bullet ripping through the blond boy with the intelligent eyes. The submarine full of bodies of soldiers. A woman with an angry, power hungry look getting pierced by a thousand pieces of jagged metal. The brown haired girl with the frightened eyes screaming as he jolted her with a painful burst of magnetic energy. The woman in the space suit getting ripped apart by bullets, falling at his feet begging him to help her.

They overwhelmed him and he fell to his knees. "No..no. Is this all I am? Is all I know death? How is this possible? How did this happen? Why did I let it happen? Why?"

The pictures were just as they had been the other night when Remy had opened the door to his past. The only difference was that now, they began to have meaning. There they were, the New Mutants. He touched the surface of the photograph, there he was, the blond boy. "Douglas." He whispered. He remembered it all now, little Rahne oblivious to the danger she was in. Doug running forward, the warning scream seeming to come out much too slow. Everything was too slow - except for the bullets. He had saved her though. Doug had saved her, and sacrificed himself in the process.

His hand balled up into a fist. "Douglas," he whispered. "What could I have done?"

"Nothing, Sir." The voice startled Eric, he turned around.

Sam walked into the room and stood next to Magnus. He looked at the picture with sad eyes. "There was nothing any of us could have done. Believe me, Sir, I've gone over that day so many times in my head. Doug made the decision. He saved Rahne."

"He died well." Eric said quietly.

Sam looked at Magnus. His face was stony as he looked at the picture, but there was a glint in his eyes the betrayed his emotion.

"You're looking well Sam." Magnus turned to Sam and looked him over. "I always knew you would turn out well."

"Thank you Sir. I've been lucky." Sam found himself wondering again about the man before him.

"Yes." Magnus, nodded slightly. He closed his eyes again, hoping to shut out the images that were coming back to him. It was a futile effort, the images were there. They were part of his life, he could no more shut them out now than he could bring them to bear before. He looked at Sam and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry Sam." He said quietly, then turned and walked out of the room.

Sam was left in more turmoil than he had started with. Who is that man? he asked. Why can't he ever just be what we want him to be and leave it at that? The minute I make up my mind about him, he does something that throws it all into turmoil! Why does he have to so complicated?

End of Part 7