Disclaimer: I own no marvel characters.

Author's Note: If I've messed up Cable let me know. I don't really know much about him, but I needed a third male and he seemed to fit. So if I've messed up please tell me so I can fix any mistakes.

Playing the Queen

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"Cards anyone?"

It was an innocent question. Said out of habit when things were quiet and boredom had settled over the mansion like a heavy blanket. And as was custom, those within ear shot readily accepted the escape from the lulling silence and inactivity.

"Chere, you wanna play?"

The woman laying on the floor of the rec room brushed back an errant strand of brown and white hair from her face, not bothering to look up from the book in front of her. Languidly she turned the page.

"Whatcha playin'?"

"Ladies choice, darlin'."

She turn on her side to better look at the stocky man who had said that. He was already seated at the card table. A beer and an ashtray were positioned off to his right. He held a smoldering cigar in his teeth as he looked at her, expectantly. In fact, all three men were looking at her that way. As if something was hanging on whether or not she accepted.

She could almost picture how she looked to them right then as she lay on her side. Her breasts pressed out against the low neck of her black tank top, her white streaked brown hair spilling over the arm that supported her head, her other arm draped languidly along her hip. The expanse of her long, toned legs were exposed, her low riding denim shorts barely covering her firm, round bottom, giving them all just one tantalizing peek of red bikini underwear. She must have looked quite alluring. A pleasant distraction from the heavy monotony enveloping the house.

She knew why they had asked her to play. There was the fact that they were all friends of course, but their real motives were clear to her. They were seasoned card players, they all gambled very well. And she seldom ever played anything but solitaire. She was easy pickings, and something delectable to look at during the game. Well, perhaps she'd just show them what they were up against.

She turned on her stomach again, closing the book. She pushed herself up to her knees and stretched like a cat, her shorts riding up just a little more, making the view that much better. She got to her feet and stretched again, this time her hands lifted her hair up off her neck as she bent backwards. She dropped her hair and it spilled around her in a mass of wild, unruly curls.

She smiled at the three of them as she sat in the empty folding chair at the table. They were pretending, each in his own way, that they hadn't been watching her little stretching exercise. Remy was shuffling the deck. Cable was leaning down to retrieve a pencil he had purposely knocked off the table. And Logan was rapidly becoming fasinated with the fresh cigar smoke cloud floating over the table. The game was won before it even started.

"Y'all know how ta play Hearts?"