Summary : The X-men are home but not everything is the way they left it.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I wrote this for a friend who didn't read the comics so there is a bit of back history and explanation on who everyone is and what their powers are. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

Art is up for The Hunter and Breaking Point on my webpage is anyone is interested in taking a peek at it.

Updated 10-14-13 to add (break)s as needed and to fix some minor errors.

(One)

The ramp of the Lucky Dragon touched down and hit the cement floor of the Xavier Institute's hanger with a loud thump. The inner door clicked and slid open with a promise of things to come. In the hanger itself, a group of X-men from the house waited impatiently outside the ship, eager to see their lost companions again. They didn't have to wait long, Logan came down the ramp first, dragging Valentin who was still cuffed and now heavily bandaged.

Valentin made quite the first impression. The First General of the Clan was a large man with fiery red hair and a commanding physical presence. The big man was now diminished somewhat, he had been injured and was now suffering. His arm was braced from the vicious break, both bones had been shattered, and his face was still battered and bruised from the failed overthrow attempt on board the ship. His ribs were taped and he grunted with each step as if his insides were breaking. When Logan's feet finally touched the floor of the hanger, home ground at last, he tossed Valentin to one side, tired of the sight of him.

Remy followed next with Joseph, Valentin's Second, who was uncuffed on his good behavior, and Beast came with Bruce, Valentin's aide, who was also loose. Maylee came next, caution in every step. She was very nervous and stayed very close to Kimble who followed.

Kimble looked around him in wonder, this was the first time he had been away from the ship since Fallen had installed him in the computer all those years ago. He had seen very little of the world in spite of his long life, experiencing only a few new environments in all that time. The hanger he now found himself in was huge, as large as anything back at Clan Station Nine, and had a couple of medium sized black planes parked within. These were the Blackbird jets he'd heard something about. They were perched neatly in the opposite side of the hanger, sleek and black and powerful looking, and he wondered how much fun it would be to fly one of them.

He next saw the small group of people who had gathered here below the ramp to greet them. He had thought there might be a bigger crowd, but only three women and two men awaited them. One of the men was seated in a wheelchair and Kimble knew enough of Fallen's legends to know that this was Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-men.

Professor Xavier had quite the physical presence in spite of being crippled and in a wheelchair. He was dressed in a neat business suit and tie as if he was off to some big important board meeting. He was middle aged, and his eyes sparkled with bright intelligence. He was bald and the lights of the hanger gleamed off of his shiny head. He was a very powerful man, possibly the greatest telepath on the planet. He'd seen much in his day and neither Kimble's or Maylee's odd physical appearance nor the sudden return of his lost X-men seemed to faze him at all.

Kimble lost some of his passive posture as he boldly took in the row of people behind the Professor. Fallen had spent many a lonely night telling him and Seth about the legends of the X-men. The stories had meant a lot to her and she had shared them with the two brothers, giving something of herself to them. Kimble had always loved stories, especially ones of such marvelous adventures, and remembered them all. He might not be as well informed on all the details as she was, but between the legends and the quick refresher Fallen had given him on the way into the hanger as they had landed, recalled enough to be able to identify those that stood before him now. He started with Jean, the lovely red haired beauty on Charles' left. She was supposed to be telepathic as well as telekinetic like Fallen. He saw her bright, shining red hair and couldn't help himself when their eyes briefly met. He grinned shyly and winked at her. She smiled and blushed, amused by his flirtation.

Scott Summers was standing next to her and held his wife possessively. His face may have shown no emotion but his shine said otherwise, he hadn't liked Kimble's flirtation one bit. Scott Summers was Xavier's Second as he had been described to Kimble, he was one of Xavier's first students and was now in charge of most of the missions and field leader. Kimble was quick to lower his eyes, not wanting to offend anyone his first day here.

Kimble looked next at the tall African-American woman standing next to Scott. This was Storm, the weather goddess. She could control all forms of weather, using wind to fly and bolts of lightening to frighten and drive their enemies. She was free spirited and not one to be trifled with. Kimble was intrigued by her dark skin and contrasting white hair. Those tresses were very white as Fallen's were and free and flowing over her neck and shoulders. She was very lovely and he smiled at her, too. She returned his smile politely and Kimble moved on.

Next to Storm was another pretty young woman with a white streak in her short cropped chestnut hair. This was Rogue, he knew. The one who couldn't be touched. Her mutation was the most deadly of this group. It was the reason she was fully clothed, revealing almost no bare skin at all. There was however, a fiery spark in her eyes. Her spirit and will was strong, her shine told him so.

He knew something else about her as well. She was Remy's girl. Kimble couldn't help himself but raise an eyebrow at Gambit in approval and joke softly in Siskan, "She's one fine little lady, ya gots there. Don't suppose you'd consider sharin'?"

Gambit cleared his throat with a grin and replied, "Not a chance, little brother. Dat one is all mine. You gotta get y' own."

Kimble laughed and kept moving.

It wasn't a large group that had come to greet them and for that Kimble was glad. He wasn't quite ready to meet the whole X-men clan at once, it might excite him too much and make him act foolish, he did not want to embarrass his Mistress. Earlier, Fallen had cautioned him to be on his best behavior here and not to do anything that might draw too much attention to himself. It didn't stop him from appreciating those that were here. He looked them over with great interest, especially the women, trying not to be too obvious about it. Perhaps here he might find some of that physical companionship he had been seeking for so long. He couldn't help himself but hope.

Fallen was the last to leave the Lucky Dragon. She looked over the hanger, trying to get her bearings in this new environment. It was so strange being back home, even if it wasn't the real home she had grown up in. It was still a human planet, made obvious by all the familiar Earthly things around her. The hanger was vast, but had real walls made of cinderblock, not stone and had signs on those walls in English, not Dognan or Clan markings.

Once down the ramp, she too took in the small crowd waiting for them. Familiar faces in their own way, the legends she had grown up had been pretty specific. She recognized everyone there as Kimble had, but knew formal introductions would have to be in order. She knew them, but they did not know her. Best to get things started. She turned next to Kimble and whispered, "Follow me and do as I do."

He nodded and did as he was told, following his Mistress as she approached the legendary leader of the X-men with an arrogant, confident stride. She was Captain of the Lucky Dragon, First Pilot of the Clan, and still demanded some authority. Kimble trailed her, keeping his eyes down submissively, he was hers to command. Fallen knelt down on her knees with practiced grace in front of the Professor as if he was royalty, hoping to make a good impression. Kimble mimicked her and knelt also, but in the more submissive posture of a Second.

Joseph swore when he saw their actions. He knew Fallen was going to try and pull something, something that might not bode well for himself and his Master. They were being treated like prisoners now, something he clearly resented. He moved to stop her, to try and regain some control over their situation, but Remy gripped his shoulder and warned, "Espe're, petit. You jus' settle yo' little ass down dere, buddy. Take a nice deep breath."

Fallen ignored the activity behind her, as First Pilot it should be beneath her notice and she wasn't about to dignify it with a response. Instead she leaned back on her ankles, tall and straight, giving Charles full view of her Honor Sword tattoo. Her voice was steady and strong as she announced, "I am Fallen, First Pilot and recipient of the Honor Sword of the Clan. I am Captain of the Lucky Dragon. My ship is at your service."

The Professor nodded and smiled at Fallen. "Yes, I recognize you from your transmission."

Charles Xavier was a supreme telepath, but he was also a great watcher of people. It didn't take him long to suss out this situation. He would honor and respect this pilot who had so graciously returned his people back to him and figure the rest of this out as they went along. It was helpful that she was being so polite and well mannered. He wasn't getting that feeling from Joseph or Valentin at all. There was violence there waiting to happen, the damage on their bodies strong evidence of that. He would trust in Logan, Henry and Remy to control them for now. Even so, he wasn't concerned, this room now contained a good portion of his senior and best trained staff. No one was getting out of hand in here.

Fallen was continuing the introductions, she nodded at the other pilot behind her. "This is Kimble, my Second."

Charles looked Kimble over politely and immediately realized there was something odd about the young man kneeling before him. He sent out a mental probe and was startled to discover he couldn't sense Kimble at all. It was like no one was there in spite of what his eyes could clearly see. He had assumed that since Kimble was a pilot in appearance, both he and Fallen had been born of the same race. Obviously, that wasn't the case at all, Kimble was something all together different. Something unique.

Kimble seemed to be aware of this and grinned that teasing smile of his, cocking his head slightly to one side in a "Well, what do ya know about that?" gesture. Once again, he gave a flirtatious wink, causing the Professor to startle in bemused surprise.

Fallen looked back at Kimble in instant irritation and hissed at him to behave. He cowered automatically but couldn't stop from laughing, he was just too damn nervous and excited to hide his playful nature. He covered his mouth in a feeble attempt at control but all of his composure was lost.

Fallen rolled her eyes in exasperation, hopelessly embarrassed. "Please forgive him, he is little more than a child," she apologized to the crowd.

The Professor smiled, sympathizing, and not the least bit put off. Really, he would rather have playful antics at an introduction than a brawl any day. It broke the ice and made things easier. "It's quite all right," he replied with a laugh. He'd done a quick head count of the returned and went on to say, "I thank you for returning all of my people safely home. I owe you a debt."

"I would seek payment."

Wolverine turned to her, shocked. All of his alarm bells went off and he moved to stand between her and Valentin, cursing her silently for pushing this. Really, this could have waited. One quick nod had Henry in place beside him as well, hoping for the best that this would not come to blows.

"Name it," the Professor said, intrigued by her boldness and up front posture.

"I would ask now for you to see to the care of these fine Clan warriors as The Lucky Dragon will not be returning to Cerise."

"You dare!"

The cry came not from Valentin, but from Joseph. He twisted away from Gambit with a surprising amount of force and tried to rush this pilot that had so offended him. Caught off balance, both Henry and Gambit grabbed for him in a mad scramble, but they were both now too far away. Logan made a movement to follow, but hesitated, not daring to let Valentin have the chance to join in.

Kimble wasn't about to wait for them to protect his precious Mistress. He pushed off the floor in a sudden burst of speed and took to the air in a huge leap and rush of wings. He vaulted over Fallen and landed in front of her, facing Joseph. Like before with Maylee, he had responded instantly to the threat and hadn't even thought twice about what he was doing or if he was even capable of handling it. Really, all he had been through had given him a small boost of confidence and he used to his advantage now. He fanned his wings out to their fullest, blocking both his precious Mistress and the Professor protectively from view. He spread his arms out and positioned his legs in a sturdy fighter's stance, tacking his toe claws down to get as good a grip on the smooth cement floor as he could. On a spur of the moment afterthought, he accessed his user codes and in one smooth movement, a crude facsimile image of Logan's claws slid out from the backs of his hands. He roared a savage challenge and finished with a rumbling growl, baring his sharp teeth. It was an impromptu yet impressive display. His earlier playfulness was gone, replaced by an angry, vengeful spirit. He was powerful, strong and confident. His message was clear. Fuck with me, prepare to bleed!

Joseph balked in midstride, intimidated by Kimble's sudden behavior in spite of his knowledge that the Siskan hologram was far less than he seemed. He simply hadn't been prepared for it.

It was enough for Gambit to seize the runaway Clansman and toss him down. "Damn, you fool Clan boys jus' don' know when to quit!" the thief complained, twisting Joseph's arm up behind his back. Remy's actions covered his own surprise, he hadn't expected Kimble's speedy response either. Joseph cried out in pain and didn't fight him. When Henry towered over him as well, Joseph was bested and he knew it.

Fallen sat still as if she had expected Kimble to act as he did, doing her very best not to reveal the quaking she was feeling inside. She was prepared for Wolverine to come to her defense, not her Second, but wasn't disappointed. She looked up at her Kimble as he glanced back to check on her, her eyes filled with love and appreciation for him, proud that he had done this for her.

When Kimble saw all of that in her eyes and her shine, he thought his heart would explode with happiness. All of that just for him, it was almost more than he could stand without bursting into tears. Instead, he pulled one wing down and reached back to affectionately touch her chin, withdrawing the claws he'd made so as not to hurt her. His hand crackled blue at the contact, he had used energy for the leap and the alteration to his skin, he now drew some from her to replace it.

The Professor watched this with great interest. Clearly, some interesting stories were going to be told by the dinner table tonight.

Fallen composed herself as best she could and turned back to the Professor with the wry comment, "Some negotiations will be in order."

"So I see." The Professor paused and regarded his new guests. He had no fear throughout the whole thing, how could he when surrounded by some of the most powerful mutants on the planet? If Kimble hadn't reacted so quickly, Jean would have used her telekinetic power to throw up a protective barrier and Storm, well, she could have fried Joseph's ass in a heartbeat with one tiny bolt of lightening. Sometimes the fun part was seeing which one of his crew reacted first.

He now watched as Remy wrestled Joseph to his feet, allowing the thief to make up for his inattention by letting him handle it alone. Henry, aware of this, made no moves to interfere unless he was needed. No worries there, Gambit was back in control and flushing with the appropriate amount of regret and apology. Joseph snarled and fought until the thief grabbed him in a firm choke hold and whispered some kind of threat in his ear. Joe gasped and gave it up, leaving Remy to shrug up at his mentor with a chagrined smile.

Logan paced the space between Valentin and his now pinned Second. The First General was much too injured to do anything but look away, feigning disinterest at his Second's failure. There was a moment that Valentin's eyes locked with Fallen's, an unspoken promise to misbehave, but he wasn't up to doing anything about it now. Satisfied there was no real threat there, Logan turned his head to give Kimble an evil look. He was furious that the Siskan had dared to mimic him. He sincerely hoped that appearance was as far as the imitation went, the last thing he needed was Kimble running around slashing everything up.

The Professor tried to absorb all this and decided the best thing was to talk about it later. He smiled at Fallen and continued, "Well, I'm sure you must be tired from your journey. I have made preparations for some supper. It will be ready in a couple of hours. Why don't you get some rest? I took the liberty of preparing some rooms for you."

Fallen bowed at him in thanks, but said, "I appreciate your hospitality, but I'd prefer to rest on my ship. I still have some repairs to complete and I have a crew member who is unable to leave the ship. I wouldn't want to leave him alone."

Kimble folded his wings and stood behind her, his defensive posture no longer necessary. He sensed her sadness and put his hands on her shoulders, whispering soft Siskan in her ear.

Sensing it as well, the Professor asked, "Is he injured? We have extensive medical facilities here."

Fallen laughed and her smile changed the look of her face, making her seem a lot less tired. "I'm sorry, sir, no. He is... He is integrated with the computer system... It's complicated."

"He ain't real like me," Kimble said as if that explained everything. "He's my brother."

"Would you like to meet him? Perhaps then you would understand," Fallen offered.

"Certainly," the Professor replied.

Fallen stood gracefully. "This way, please." She gestured towards the ramp of the Lucky Dragon.

"Hey, Charlie," Logan grunted. "I'm gonna put these Joes in storage 'til they can be looked at," he said, meaning the Clansmen. "We'll catch up later." He was still glaring at Kimble.

"Very well."

Logan jerked Valentin along. The east wall of the great hanger had a large opening, revealing what looked like a railway car in a subway tunnel. The hanger itself was underground and kept secret, this was a tram that led from the hanger to the equally hidden lower levels of the Xavier Institute some distance away. It was the only way to get from the hanger to the house, the only route to the holding cells and Logan's bed which was calling to him now. That and a nice cold beer.

"I'll give you a hand," Jean offered to Logan, sensing his need to get out of here.

"I will also," Storm said, moving closer to help out.

"You have no right to lock us up!" Valentin gasped, his first verbal complaint since their arrival. He was injured, but still quite intimidating. "We have committed no crime!"

"You guys put Kimble down pretty good," Logan snarled. "If it weren't for the Cajun, he'd be dead right now. That's good enough fer me."

Charles glanced at Kimble who only shrugged. He looked in remarkable shape for a guy who had apparently nearly missed death. Oh yes, some good stories were yet to be told. Sometimes that was the best part of being an X-man, the adventures and the stories told over the dinner table.

Logan grabbed Valentin and Jean escorted Joseph. She made a face, wrinkling her nose at his stink. Other than Bruce, the Clansmen were still unwashed and as rank as usual. "Oh, my!"

"We had ta deal with that fer weeks," Logan complained, rolling his eyes.

Joseph didn't appreciate her censure. The Clan society in general was unkempt and he didn't understand her revulsion, only that it was disrespectful. He was Second to the First General to the Clan, a man of high rank. "Lay your eyes down when you look at me, woman!" he snarled.

"I don't know where you're from, buddy, but I don't lay my eyes down for anybody," she said, giving him the full authority of her stare. "Certainly not someone as stinky as you!"

"You Clan boys are in for a whole new set of rules. Best learn yer manners right quick," Logan advised, his eyes merry now that the X-men were back in charge. He would love to see Jean whip Joseph's scrawny little ass.

Joseph squirmed a little and she gave him a little telekinetic shove, just enough to let him know he didn't stand a chance against her. He backed off, too tired and sore to argue.

Bruce followed them quietly on his own, mindful of Storm's presence. No one had to read Bruce's mind to know he'd had his fill of fighting. All he wanted was a place to lay his head down and sleep. He was still a little groggy from the sedatives he'd been given and his arm was sore. He had received three large cuts from his tangling with Logan. He had been stitched by Henry, but his arm had begun to throb and ache horribly. Bruce looked back at Kimble who smiled at him in a feeble attempt to reassure him. Bruce nodded and left with his head down.

Kimble looked through the opening to the tram where they had gone, disappointed. Now that he was out of the ship, he wanted to explore. He didn't want to go back inside the ship with Fallen and it showed.

Gambit noticed and said, "C'est bien, Kimble. You come wit me, Gambit show you 'round."

Kimble beamed, but looked back at Fallen. "Is it all right?"

"Go on, just - just be good!" she warned.

"Don't worry, chere," Remy said with a laugh. "Gambit's gonna keep an eye on him."