[OP: "Somebody That I Used to Know" -- Gotye, Kimbra]

The day following Boxing Day, the holiday high seemed a little mellowed out.

Kitty went off to visit her parents, as promised, and she had seemed happier since.

Other than that, it was pretty mild.

"I'm afraid we need to make another shopping run," Jean said. "The holiday feast does not last long with so many people. Even with two less."

"When are we just going to buy in bulk?" Shine sighed.

"We do buy in bulk," Wally said. "We just transport it ourselves."

"Yes...that," Shine said.

"Ah, lighten up, Sugar," Rogue said. "Ya can take that vacation just as soon as the others get back."

"I could use one also," Scott muttered, joining them. "But it's my turn... Jean?"

"Yes, I know," Jean said. "But I think we should leave the kids at home. Moira will want to spend more time with Kevin, so..."

Jubilee was not interested in going to the stores while it was so cold anyway.

"Well, that means we don't have to stop at the mall," Shine said.

"But I like the other stuff," Wally said. "Oh, well...just get more espresso."

"Thanks to you, we have to buy that in bulk also," Scott said.

"But think of all the labor he saves you," Shine said. "Surely it balances out."

Scott had no comment.

"Post holiday blues must be hitting him," Shine said. "Or is he just back to normal? I can't tell anymore."

"Shine, please," Jean said. "Let's just go. I have to make dinner tonight. It would be best to get an early start."

"All right, but, Jean, again, if you'd just let us help you more, it wouldn't be such a load..." Shine argued as they headed for the garage.

"My, my," Emma said. "Actually leaving the house? I think I'll join them."

"Yeah, I'm sick of being cooped up too," Morph said. "What about you, Mystique?"

Mystique looked up. She was reading again...apparently enjoying her vacation from chores.

"I don't see what I get out of it when I don't shop," she said.

"I thought you'd say that." Emma walked out the door.

Mystique frowned.

"Fine." She got up.

"You really don't have to just because she said that," Morph said.

"No, I just want to annoy her," Mystique said. "And don't say get a life."

"Wasn't going to." Morph shrugged.

For one of their outings, it was a small group, even so.

Along the plaza that they shopped at, they got out.

"Of course you all can do whatever," Shine said. "Just remember not to get into any trouble without letting the rest of us know. Emma, you do have a com-link now, right?"

"I can't imagine I'll get into trouble," Emma said. "But yes." She tapped it. "One thing I almost really can't get over is how no one has a cell phone."

"They don't even work that well," Scott said. "Why would we want one?"

Shine laughed oddly. "Oh...for a simpler time..."

"Hey, I'm with you," Wally said to Scott. "When I first saw a post-2010 cell phone, I thought I'd seen some alien device."

"There are some crack theorists who'd probably agree with that theory," Shine said. "But sadly, the only way to know would be to go to Area 51, and that didn't go so well."

"I hope that was a joke," Scott said.

"I wish it was," Shine said.

Silence for a moment.

"And they think my future is bleak," Emma muttered.

"I'm going to the supermarket for some essentials," Jean said. "If someone wants to pick up the meat and flour and things, that would be wonderful."

She had her business voice on.

"Jean sure does like boring stuff," Morph said.

"Gives her a sense of normalcy," Shine said. "Which is better for us, right? At least someone likes this. Well, meet you here later." She nodded at Wally.

"Yep, I'll find the perfect spot, don't worry." Wally wasn't shopping, he was going to look for somewhere for a romantic date, apparently.

He dashed away.

"That looks kind of odd in snow clothes," Morph said. "Well...let's see. Flour, I guess? That's light, right?"

"Ha ha," Shine said. "Have fun with that. I'll help Jean get the small stuff."

"I guess that leaves us with the meat pick up," Scott said.

"Delightful," Emma said.

"You can go off alone if you prefer," Scott said.

"I would prefer," Emma said. "But I'll go as far as the street. They have some better shops farther down, if I remember correctly. Everything looks so different still from my memory... We ought to try Boston some time."

"And why would we go there when this is closer and probably cheaper?" Scott scoffed.

"Oh, please..." Emma muttered.

If someone had asked Emma if she thought being around another dimension's Scott Summers would have been too bizarre to stand, she'd have said yes.

But in actuality, he was just too different to feel like it was the same person. As were most of them. As a telepath, she could sense their thought patterns weren't the same.

Overall, she wasn't sure it was a bad thing. They were simpler in some ways, but also, overall, she thought they were perhaps the better fitted team.

In fact, she'd adjusted rather fast to being here. If it wasn't for the question of who might be after her, she'd probably have not minded the idea of being there indefinitely.

As it was, it was easy to almost forget about the possibility and focus on the menial, everyday tasks that make up what people call a normal life.

She was thinking of this, and her situation, as she walked down the street, away from Cyclops.

A car sped around the corner, with some armed gunmen in it, and a police siren wailed not far off.

Emma didn't really care. There was nothing she could do about it anyway, with just her telepathy. They were going way too fast for that. But she heard Cyclops turn and rush after them, probably to shoot out the tires.

Well, he could have fun with that. She wasn't going to get caught here. MRD or not, she still wasn't easy about revealing her powers in public.

And gunmen were nothing Cyclops couldn't handle, so she wasn't worried about this.

She got just a little farther down the street before suddenly something like some kind of psionic wave seemed to hit her mind, faint.

It seemed like Jean, but before any coherent message could come through, it stopped.

At the same time, a different feeling, like some kind of internal tremor, passed through Emma's psyche, and she could sense it.

She felt dizzy for a moment...but then it was gone.

"What was that...?" she mused, stopping. Then her eyes widened. "Jean, Cyclops..."

She turned and ran back down the street, not caring that she brushed past some people a little too hard, and they swore at her like New Yorkers tend to do.

She ran up the street. Where had Cyclops gone? He couldn't have gotten away that fast.

To her shock, she found the car... It was cut in half.

That seemed a bit extreme for him...unless something had gone haywire. What had that wave been?

Emma, now even more unnerved, pressed her com-link. "X-men? Did you feel that?"

No answer right off, then Shine came back, "I felt something weird," she said. "Inside. But other than that, no... I thought maybe someone just passed by who had...issues."

"I felt it too, so that's unlikely," Emma said. "Where's Jean...? She sent out some kind of distress."

"Jean? She was in the produce section. I'm over in Frozen and Canned. Hold on."

She must have run.

Emma waited for her to buzz in and answer that Jean was there but passed out or something like that.

While she waited, she struggled to signal Jean's mind but got no response.

Because she was so focused on that, she never noticed anyone coming closer to her. She just backed into the edge of an alley to avoid being seen by pedestrians.

So it caught her completely off guard when a voice said: "Who's there?"

Emma knew that voice, but her mind refused to accept it.

Slowly, like a machine, she turned to look behind her.

The person standing there was Cyclops...but one glance, and she knew it wasn't the Cyclops from this dimension. This was Scott...the one she knew.

Emma was struck speechless by that realization.

"Emma?" Scott said at once, with the strangest look.

Well, he might have it--she was supposed to be dead.

"Scott?" Emma's voice sounded strange to her.

Before she could fumble for an explanation, something else happened.

Like it was on cue, a terrible feeling gripped the inside of her mind, like a vice, and images began playing in front of her eyes, so real she actually could see them.

Fire...this terrible screeching sound. Betrayal...

It was too much!

"No! No! Stop it!" Emma yelled at the sensation, like it was a real thing. "Get out of my head!"

It didn't stop.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Scott stepped forward, not sure what to make of this reaction.

Emma didn't even hear him, she was so distracted.

[Emma art by Julianna Gardner]

She clutched her head. "Stop it..." she moaned.

Then the pain passed for a moment and just left a complete blank.

Dazed and confused, Emma looked at Scott like she'd never seen him before, then looked around.

"What...what is this? Where am I?" she said, like she was half asleep. "Who are you?"

"Who am I--? But you just... What...?" Scott sputtered. "How can you just not remember...? A minute ago... It's me, Cyclops. Don't you remember?"

"I don't know you," Emma said, stepping back. "I...ah!" She winced. "No, that's not right."

Then her mind cleared all of the sudden, and she remembered...and she was suddenly terrified.

"What was that?" She suddenly shivered. "That was unlike anything I've ever felt before. This isn't right.... Scott, how are you here? This isn't what's supposed to be happening right now."

"Now you remember?" Scott seemed lost.

"Something's wrong," Emma said faintly, not sure where to even begin to express how wrong it was. "Something is very, very wrong."

"Emma, I don't know what's going on, but I don't recognize this part of New York," Scott said. "You have to tell me--where are we?"

"We're...you..." Emma faltered for words.

The com-link buzzed, she jumped, but it was a mercy. "Emma?" It was Shine. "I can't find her, not anywhere. She's gone. Can you sense her?"

"I can't...sense anyone," Emma said. "I mean, I can, but not... Where are you?"

"Still in the store."

"I need you to come here, right now." Emma's tone got sharp with worry. "There's something you have got to see."

"Okay..." Shine said. "Let me find the other two, then."

"No time," Emma said. "Who knows where they are? Now, before it's too late."

"Emma, you sound like you're panicking. What's going on?" Shine asked.

"Just get over here!" Emma snapped.

"All right, I'm coming," Shine said.

"Who are you talking to?" Scott asked faintly.

"Someone who can help, I hope." Emma struggled to regain her composure, not very successfully. "I don't understand... Wait, why aren't you surprised to see me?"

Alive, she wanted to add but didn't have the nerve.

"I guess I should be," Scott said oddly. "Since I have no idea where this is, but it's...not like it's that weird a thing that could happen. Do you remember what we were doing before this? My mind is all foggy... I know I knew a minute ago. Something is wrong, or...you don't know either, is that it?"

"I thought I knew, but now this..." Emma still was at a loss. "You're really not going to ask me why I'm alive?"

"Alive?" Scott said strangely. "But if I am, why not you?"

Emma suddenly started to understand.

A quick scan of his mind confirmed it.

"Oh my," she said, duly horrified. "You don't remember what happened, do you?"

https://youtu.be/zw2UyIxanBM

["Faust, Midas, and Myself"-- Switchfoot]

* * *

There was no time to dissect that statement for Scott before Shine popped out of a doorway, which made him jump and almost shoot her.

"Hey, what's up?" Shine asked Emma.

"Take a closer look at him." Emma gestured at Scott shakily.

Shine did, then she gasped. "Oh...you're not the Scott we know... You look...different... Emma, this is...?"

"Yes, it is," Emma said.

"Oh no..." Shine looked pale. "This changes things... This is not good."

"Who are you?" Scott asked.

"There's more." Emma swallowed. "I just looked in his mind. He has no memory of what happened to him to bring him here."

"That's true," Scott confirmed.

Emma lowered her voice so only Shine could hear her. "Or what happened to me. Nothing."

"So he doesn't think you're dead?" Shine said.

"Apparently, no," Emma said.

"That's weird," Shine said. "Even if he remembers nothing about coming here, why would it affect his memory of your dimension? Yours was intact."

"Not wholly," Emma said. "Something very uncanny just happened to me, I don't know what. But for some reason, I didn't remember... Now I can't remember what set it off. Something about seeing Scott..."

"I could see why," Shine said. "Do you feel okay now?"

"I remember now, but I have no idea what is happening," Emma said.

"Makes two of us," Shine said. "But if I had a guess... But we're scaring him more."

She turned to Scott, and, with a calm Emma had never appreciated so much before, she said evenly, "Scott Summers? I suppose you don't know me. I'm Shine Likstar West. You can call me Shine, or Miss Shine, if you prefer formality. You're...there's no easy way to say this, you're currently in another dimension."

"Another...what?" Scott said blankly.

"And you seem to be suffering from Dimension Shock," Shine said. "A result of being brought here in the wrong way, no doubt. You have no memory of what happened. Do you recognize Emma Frost?"

"I do," Scott said.

"Good. I hope that's enough reason for you to trust us enough to come with us," Shine said.

If he'd recalled all of what happened around Emma, it wouldn't have been, but clearly he was too confused for that.

"I... This is a lot you just threw at me," he said.

"I know," Shine said, somehow still sounding calm. "And I'm sure you have a million questions. But if we stay here, we're vulnerable to being found."

Scott straightened. "By the MRD," he said.

"Great, that he remembers," Emma said. "That's relevant."

"Just how much does he not remember?" Shine asked. "Would you say it's...just around you, or...?"

"I can't find memory of most of the X-men..." Emma said, after a pause.

"The who?" Scott said.

"Uh oh," Shine said. "That is the worst kind of shock... This is rare...but it's not unheard of. Okay, the good news is, it will go away."

"Will it?" Emma said uncertainly.

"Could take a day though," Shine said. "And for now, we just need to get out of here. And where is our Scott? Or is he...not here?"

"I'm sorry, what do you mean by your Scott?" Scott said.

"I really have no clue how to begin explaining it," Shine said. "Follow me, please, I'm begging you." She suddenly looked stressed. "I have to call Morph... Both of you, come on. I'm not sure the culprit may not be around here looking for you. Follow me, don't worry, it should be safe enough just for a short jump."

She opened a door.

"What is that?" Scott asked.

"A portal. Just get in," Emma said.

Scott really had no other choice, so he did. Emma followed slowly.

The portal dropped them back at the car, though a little out of plain sight.

"Morph." Shine tapped the com-link she attached to her jacket. "Please tell me you're there."

"I'm here, yeah. What's going on?" Morph said. "Something's weird. Jean and Scott aren't answering me."

"Come back to the car," Shine said. "What we have for now will have to do. We have an S-class emergency... Drat this anime speech--it really is impossible to lose it. But you know what I mean."

"On our way," Morph said. "Are they okay?"

"I...really don't know..." Shine said. "I don't think so."

"Who is that?" Scott asked. "It sounds kind of familiar."

"This is a little too much for me." Emma suddenly leaned on the car. "Miss Likstar, explanation, please."

"There's no reason Scott--the one we know--wouldn't be answering," Shine mused, looking somber. "There's only one explanation I know of... They swapped places."

Pause.

"Can you do that?" Emma said finally.

"It's rare...but it is possible," Shine said. [Once it's fully published, the WorldCrossed story has a section where this is relevant. Explains why Shine knows about it also.]

"How?" Emma said. "How could one person just swap the distance of literal worlds?"

"You can't think of distance when you dimension travel," Shine said. "It's not distance that matters. Of course it's impossible when you think of it that way. Like an ant crossing a desert would be, it'd be dead before it got halfway. But if you can fold the distance...the ant could be across in mere seconds. It's like that... But swapping places? That usually only happens if there's some disturbance in the fabric of space time... That must be what we felt. But I don't remember feeling that with you... Even if I was asleep, you'd think..."

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are," Scott said, "or what you're talking about, but I seem to have been abducted somehow. Would that be right?"

"For lack of a better term, sure," Shine said, rubbing her arms nervously.

"Right...so...by who?" Scott said. "And why did you say I was in shock over it? Why don't I remember anything about the last...I don't know how many years?"

"You know how a concussion can cause memory loss?" Shine said. "It's like that. Your brain couldn't handle the shock. But those are generally temporary."

"Generally?" Scott repeated. "I need to remember now!"

He was agitated...for good reason.

"I can't just make you remember," Shine said. "Please, I'm trying to think... Ah, thank goodness."

Morph was running up. Mystique was on his heels, though she was in disguise.

"What in the holy Crystal Palace is going on?" Morph said. "I really hope it's--" He stopped and peered at Scott.

"Morph?" Scott said oddly.

"Scott?" Morph said. "I mean...the Scott I know...I knew.... What the...? Uh oh..." He looked at Shine. "They... It happened again."

"Worse, it looks like they swapped places," Shine said. "This is so unusual..."

"When you're saying that, I know it is," Mystique said. She eyed Scott. "Well, you can tell he's not the one we know, all right. Look at that hair and outfit."

"Excuse me?" Scott said.

"He looks cool, for the time period anyway," Morph said. 

"At least he's not in spandex," Shine said. "That would really stand out."

"You're kind of cavalier about this," Emma said to her.

"Am I?" Shine gave her a look. "One of us has to be calm right now."

"Boy, Scott, it has been a hot minute," Morph said. "I'd be happier to see you if it didn't surround you getting kidnapped."

"It did." Scott said it like it was half a question and half a statement. "Morph, what...what are you doing here? I mean, I thought you died or something... How long has it been now?... I can't even remember how I know you."

"Scott is in Dimension Shock," Shine supplied wearily. "He basically has a concussion. He can't remember much about himself right now."

"Does he know what a mutant is?" Mystique said.

"I do. Why?" Scott said.

"Because they do too." Mystique pointed.

They all saw the police had come up to the split car down the block and were looking around for them.

"I think they can figure out that someone with a laser did that," Mystique said.

"I had no choice. It was coming right at me," Scott said finally. "I appeared in the middle of a street. I'm lucky it didn't just run me over."

"Yeah, you'd better get in the car. Let's go," Shine said. "I guess I can drive."

"You don't have a license," Morph said.

"Do you?" Shine asked. "Who's the most focused right now?"

Morph didn't argue anymore.

"And you'd better call your man and let him know." Mystique seemed oddly composed.

"Yeah," Shine said. "He didn't answer before... Maybe he was moving too fast. Can someone try again?"

She looked at the car. "How do we start this? Cyclops had the key."

"Use a paperclip," Mystique said.

"What?" Shine said.

[Heard this could work, though it would be on an older car, obviously.]

Mystique pulled one out of the glove department, where it was around some papers for the car, and used it to turn on the engine.

"You're just full of surprises," Morph said.

"Think I've never had to steal a car?" Mystique replied.

"Is she...a criminal?" Scott asked blankly.

"Who isn't?" Emma said. "Step on it, Shine."

"I am." Shine pulled out and started driving away. 

"What?" Morph was trying. "Ah, there you are. You gotta come meet us fast. We have a huge problem right now. Do the words dimension swap mean anything to you?"

About three seconds later, Wally caught up to the car, running. "Hey, guys," he said. "So...what's going on? Oh, hey, Scott... Wait a minute, you're not Scott."

"Babe, watch the corner!" Shine said.

Wally somehow managed to hop into the car while it was still moving. "Sorry," he said, squeezing between Morph and Scott. 

"Who are you?" Scott asked.

"Name's Wally or Flash," Wally said. "And I take it you're some kind of alternate Scott Summers?"

"I don't know what that means," Scott said.

"Yes, he is," Emma said. "He's my--I mean our...Morph and I's--the one we know."

"Oh, okay," Wally said. "Well, nice to meet you, and I'm sorry that you're kidnapped and all. This is a lot..."

"Yeah..." Poor Scott looked a little nauseous.

"Shine, is this a Code Red?" Wally leaned forward.

"I don't know, Wally," Shine said.

Wally patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"Will it?" Shine said.

"Yeah," Wally said.

Shine drew a deep breath. "Yeah, it will."

"Aw, that's cute," Morph said.

"Morph, focus!" Mystique said, snapping her fingers to grab his attention. "Explanation for this? Now?"

"Hey, I don't have one," Morph said. "No one's ever switched before, I think. At least not like this. I kind of replaced my other self--but not like that. Maybe the other X-men would know."

"Who are the X-men?" Scott sounded close to snapping.

"Okay, Scott...try to follow along," Morph said, as Shine pulled them around a corner a little fast.

"Good gracious, where did you learn to drive?" Emma asked, hitting the side of the car.

"California," Shine said.

"That was a little fast for you," Wally said.

"I think driving with you is making me become inoculated to speeding," Shine said, a little strained still. "Sorry...I'll slow down."

"Could also be you haven't driven in a while since we've been without a license..." Wally said. "Want me to take over?"

"No!" the entire car said, even Scott. Somehow he had the idea at first glance Wally wasn't a very safe driver.

"So, you remember me, kind of," Morph said. "And you and I were both part of this team called the X-men, in your dimension, but I left it ages ago and came here, to this dimension, but there's  X-men here too, just not the same ones. They're parallel."

"Huh?" Scott said.

"I'm a telepath, and this is making no sense," Emma complained.

"Oh, shut up and let him finish." Mystique was dealing with the situation by hyper focusing on the one part of it that she knew about.

"Right, so..." Morph faltered. "Well, the X-men are heroes and mutants, right? So we all live at this mansion which is also a school. This sound familiar?"

"Should it?" Scott whimpered almost.

"Wow, this memory block is no joke," Morph said.

"They're your friends," Mystique tried, in rather a flat voice by comparison. "They'll help you. Simple enough?"

"That is, I guess," Scott said.

"Maybe we should hold off on any more explanations till later," Wally said. "What happened to Scott and Jean--? I mean, the ones we know."

"Unless Jean mysteriously decided to go home, I think they're gone," Shine said.

"If that's true--" Emma gripped the back of the seat. "--where is the Jean we know? Shouldn't she have replaced your Jean?"

"That...is what I've been trying to figure out," Shine said. "She should have...but she didn't. I thought we could assume you and the other Frost had switched places also...but if the two Jeans didn't, then we can't be sure you did either... Scott may be the outlier here.... The question is why."

"I'm not huge on this, but Jean and Emma are both telepaths," Wally said. "And they kind of pick up on this stuff faster. Think maybe that's connected? Or maybe they both had the Phoen--" 

Emma suddenly jabbed him with her hand.

Wally gave her a strange look. Then he suddenly got it and shrugged.

"Both had the--" Mystique started to say before Emma silenced her with some kind of telepathic threat.

"Okay, I better call the Professor," Morph said. "And he better be there." 

He pressed his com-link.

Thankfully, Xavier answered.

And he also had some idea of what had transpired already. Jean had called out to him also.

"I couldn't reach Frost," he said.

"Yeah, she's little jumbled up," Morph said. "But she's here, at least...for some reason... This is weird."

"From what I'm getting from your minds...they have switched places?" Xavier said. "Does this mean they are in another dimension currently that we cannot access?"

"I think that's exactly what it means," Morph said.

"This is...not good," Xavier said, somberly. "I will gather the rest of the team... Somehow we must let Storm and Wolverine know also. I don't think Logan took his com-link, but Storm probably did. As long as it's not out of range... Or I can contact them telepathically."

"Yeah, we should," Morph said.

Shine was pulling onto the road toward the mansion.

"Huh...this looks kind of familiar," Scott said.

"Well, good, it's coming back to you," Morph said.

Scott just gave him a look.

"Sorry," Morph said.

"This would be a great time for that friend of yours to finally get back in touch," Mystique said to him.

"Tell me about it," Morph said.

"How are you both so calm about this?" Emma rubbed her head.

"I guess it's just you get used to this kind of bizarre stuff after a while," Morph said.

"I've heard worse," Mystique said.

"You've done worse is what you mean," Emma said.

"Well, Frost," Mystique said, "maybe, but, right now, if there's someone who should be worried about that, I don't think it's me."

Pointedly.

Emma was silent.

Somehow they got to the house and pulled up. Shine didn't even go into the garage, just stopped in the semicircular driveway, and they all hurried out.

Rogue and Gambit came dashing out of the house to meet them. Xavier had filled them in briefly.

"Holy cow," Rogue said. "It really is a different Scott." She blinked at him. "Is he taller?"

"It de coat," Gambit said.

"Who...who are you?" Scott said.

"That's just wrong ta hear," Rogue said. "We gotta find our Scott lickety split, and Jean too, and swap 'em back. Can't have this--it's too...Twilight Zone."

"I hate that show," Shine said. "But...you know...I hate to say this, but, if we haven't found a way to put Emma back...why would it be any different now?"

"Because now it our team!" Gambit said. "And you better have way ta fix dis."

"Excuse me, is it my fault?" Shine suddenly got mad. "Why do I need to have the way to fix it? I didn't cause it."

"All Gambit know is all dis started after you arrive. Maybe it connected," Gambit said.

"Gambit!" Rogue said. "How can ya say that?"

Kurt poofed into view.

"I heard vhat happened, are you all all vright?" he said. "Vhat is the cause of this?"

"Nightcrawler?" Scott said oddly. "I think..."

"I guess he looks close enough," Morph said. "But this is the one here. He's a monk."

"That doesn't sound right," Scott said. "I...guess I'm going to have to get used to that though..."

"This is a problem," Emma said. "Two more people...where will it end? Now it's not just me. I thought it was just me, you said because no one would look for me, but that doesn't apply here. I need an explanation for this."

"We don't have one!" Shine said.

"Okay, time out." Wally grabbed her and pulled her up to him. "Shine and I are going to take five and try to calm down. I know it's weird coming from me, but...we really can't rush whatever this is. Try to get a grip, everyone, if you can. Maybe the Professor can find some memories for Scott while we're resting. Okay?"

"Okay..." Scott said.

"And if that doesn't work?" Emma said.

"Then at least we know it won't work," Wally said. "Morph? Kurt, help me out."

"He is vright, ve must try," Kurt said. "And prayer, alvays prayer."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's go," Morph said. "Gambit, leave Shine alone, okay? Come on."

"Fine," Gambit said grumpily.

"He didn't mean it, Sister," Kurt told Shine. "He is only upset because of his fruends, trust me."

"Uh huh..." Shine said thinly.

"We got it, just go," Wally said.

They split.

[Well...caught all of you off guard, didn't I?]