Logan glanced over at the young woman across the way. She was lean, indicating she was active. Her shapely legs, clothed in pressed beige slacks, were crossed under the white metal table this particular cafe used in its outside court. Her trim torso was sheathed in a tight red body shirt, and the sleaves were pushed to her elbows which rested on the outer edges of a newspaper. She brought a steaming cup to blush lips that were a little on the full side for Logan; he noticed she had a definate overbite. Wisps of golden brown hair escaped the braided sides she'd clipped back. The bulk of her silky tressels drapped about her shoulders and a fingerlength down her back; bangs she absently brushed out of her range of vision as blue fire scanned the pages.

A definate possibility, he mused. Even her flaws seemed to add to her attractiveness. Not so much for her appearance (she wasn't especially beautiful), but for the personality that Logan suspected was just beneath the surface. Here was a woman who was ready for any given situation, and ready to face it as an equal. He liked the strength, both physical and spiritual, that she unconciously project.

"Mon ami," a Cajun voice interupted, "you do bedder to take a picture, non?"

Logan glared at Remy LeBeau, known more readily as Gambit, and was rewarded by a knowing smirk. When he returned his discreet gaze to the woman, Logan's eyes met hers in a brief exchange. She regally inclined her head to Logan in response to the oblique commplement as if she'd heard the exchange though Gambit had kept his voice down and they were nearly 30ft away in the crowded sidewalk cafe. Even Logan had difficulty hearing at this noise level and distance. A sensuous, lopesided smile curved her lips and her eyes danced briefly with merriment before returning to her paper. Logan turned back to Gambit.

"Why don' you go talk to de madmoiselle, homme?"

Gambit's red and black eyes were dancing now. The tall, lithe, younger man dared Logan to rise to his baiting. Logan didn't often take ribbing, but the thief seated across from him was a man with demons as dark as his own; between them exhisted a type of understanding few others in the mansion could have or understand. Gambit's face lit with a smile as he realized Logan wouldn't be so easily gloaded.

"Finish your sandwich, Gumbo, and we'll get."

Logan was a man of few words. He turned back to watch the woman as the Cajun bent over his food and applied himself to the task. Logan, meanwhile, had just been noticing a pair of light suede hiking boots on the woman's feet. Hiking boots in a New York suburb? He shrugged, unable to comprehend the fashion styles of today's youth when a teenage boy came over and sat at the woman's table.

"Competition, homme?"

"Her brother."

"How you tell?"

"Same facial shape, just different colors." Where her hair was golden brown in the midmorning sunshine, his was dirty blonde. Eyes that were fiery blue in one face were jade green with a curious blue rim in the other. He was longer in the leg than her, meaning he probably towered over her. He was mostly muscle in the upper torso, but not bulgingly so; an enemy could easily misjudge he strength in battle. Light and loose denium jeans and a turquoise t-shirt marked him as more casual than his sister. A buxom platinum blonde bomshell in a blue sundress and an auburned haired beauty in black jeans, tee and leather jacket joined the two shortly after.

Smiles were shared all around and a few pleasant conversational comments exchanged as purchases were displayed for the first woman. Almost as if they were seeking her approval, Logan mused. She must be the informal leader.

A man whose age matched the first woman's joined them. The new arrival was as tall as Gambit and even more lithe; his frame gave Logan the impression of being unfinished. He was dressed head to toe in medium brown, black hair buzzed close to his head. A silver pendant on a black cord around his neck and a single gold hoop in his ear were the only accessories he carried. Dark brown eyes glanced around and assessed the area before he took a seat next to the teenage boy.

The five had settled into an easy conversation when the leader suddenly and visiably tensed. Logan did as well and scanned the crowd as the brown clad man had earlier. Gambit picked up on the older man's tension.

"Mon ami?" he kept his voice low as his hand reappeared from the folds of his trenchcoat with an everpresent pack of cards.

"Call the others, Gumbo. There's going to be trouble."

Gambit obeyed as Logan, unable to find the source of the woman's unease, glanced at her again. Her pose of indolence was forced; Logan noticed her eyes tracking a burly pair of men at the same time he realized she and the auburned haired woman were the only ones at the table. Her companions had disappeared into the crowd.

Without warning, the burly thugs lunged at the two women. Idolence faded as the two women just as suddenly were leaping over the thugs' heads. Before Gambit and Logan could even blink, the girls had spun two simultaneous kicks. Bones crunched, fists flew, were blocked and counter punches connecting before Logan had reached the first would-be attacker. He watched the man fall into a crumpled heap before he turned to see two more thugs with identical faces as the ones before rushing him and Gambit. Before he could even extend his claws, flame engulfed both of his assailants and Logan glanced through the crowd the woman's brown clad friend burning the flesh off of the two to reveal melting metal skeletons with blinking yellow eyes. Cyborgs!

He spun around to warn the women, sure they didn't know who was attacking them when he saw the auburn haired woman take a CD from her jacket, charge it as easily as Gambit would have and hurl it towards one of the Cyborgs. It and the CD exploded into millions of tiny bits.

The other woman faced her attacker with a feral grin to match Logan's spread over her face. She spin kicked the Cyborg, then sliced through the metallic skull with a shining set of claws protruding from the back of each hand.

Shaken by the diplay, he turned in time to see the brother literally fly into two more identical Cyborgs, reminding him so strongly of his fiery headed and tempered teammate Rogue. The blonde threw a sort of telekinetic discus not unlike the purple-haired Pslocke's psonic blades at two more. Logan shook his head and promptly entered the foray as two Cyborgs turned their attention on him. He'd figure it out later.

End of Chapter One