"Pilgram, that's some mighty fine grub ya served"

[BEAST]

"Mmmm MMMM it smells simply divine in here Rogue. Are you going to give me even a little hint on the side dishes to that famous casserole of yours?" Hank said walking into the large spacious office and hanging up his coat on the rack by the door. His office looked more like a mini flat from the way it was set up. He had his study area in one corner, with large computer monitors and stacks of books and files everywhere. On the opposite of the room was a mini Kitchen, complete with an oven, a stove, and a dishwasher. Further over was a large plush couch and a big screen TV. There was also a door to the bathroom next to his study area, making his office literally a mini flat. Hank spent so much time in here that upon Emma's insistence and help, he had everything he needed to be comfortable.

He walked over to the kitchen and took out the plates and silverware. "I'll set the table then, and yes don't worry I will extend it so there will be enough room for all the plates," he said with a knowing smile. He generally had a light lunch on Fridays as Rogue cooked up enough to feed just about every student in the school. "Now I know that we said we'd watch The Alamo tonight, but I picked up El Dorado by mistake. We may as well watch this one tonight and save The Alamo for next week," Hank said as he set a table that could fit at least four people comfortably just for the two of them.

"I was just checking in on the Paragon Danger Room Session. I was worried our night would be interrupted, but Kurt assured me he had it under control. It does look like they will need some medical attention though. Fleet may have pushed himself too hard again, though I'm sure that doesn't surprise you anymore than it does myself," Hank said with a shake of his head. "Ah there we are." He looked down at the neatly set table. "And now for the drinks." Hank walked over to his liquor cabinet and unlocked it. "Now, should we have some wine with dinner, or do we go with old fashioned beer again?"

[Rogue]

Smirking as she finished cooking her casserole on the pan, Rogue gave the delicious dish one more flip before turning off the stove. "Now Henry Ah am hurt," she performed dramatically. "You know ma casserole is only at it's best with the Chardonnay." She placed her hand over her heart and sighed and then brought the pan towards the table with a spatula. "And ya know Ah'll neva give away my secret. It's a Southern thang." She chuckled and poured the food on their plates. "Get it while it's hot," she said. Rogue quickly hopped over to the stove to get the tabasco sauce and jogged back to the table. "Can't forget the best part." Spicy food was her favorite and she couldn't help but add a little to her famous dish.

Rubbing her hands together, she helped Beast set the table and placed all the used cooking instruments in the dishwasher. He really did have everything he needed. It was no wonder why he barely left except to go to the lab. Finally sitting down, she licked her lips and inhaled the wonderful smell of dinner. "Any of The Duke's films is fine," she replied. "And when it comes to the Paragons Ah am a bit worried. Ah know when Kurt has his mind set he does it but... they just really need to get it together. Ah have no doubt they can really be an amazing team. Probably the best yet." For now, business was over. It was time to get her colleague and friend out of the worried mind set and into fun.

"Now, why don't ya tell me how amazin' my casserole is for the twentieth time," she concluded with a warm smile.

[BEAST]

Hank chuckled slightly as he opened the bottle of Martinelli Charles Ranch Chardonnay and took the two wine glasses for the both of them. "I can only feed your ego so much, my dear, but it is worthwhile in this case. I have sampled the most rare delicacies from all over the world served for Kings and Queens, and I would still take your casserole over all of it," he said with a smile and picked up the remote to turn on the music. For Rogue's benefit, he often played the classic New Orleans jazz. It went with the atmosphere and the talents of Benny Goodman, Jelly Roll Morton, and other various classical New Orleans artists where the garnish to the pleasant mood.

Setting the glasses on the table, he filled her glass first and then his own before sitting down. "Rogue you have out done yourself. Dirty rice, Louisiana Crab Cakes, Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade, and is that Oysters Rockefeller? Oh my stars and garters, if this food tastes as well as it smells, I may lose myself for a moment and propose to you," Hank said looking at the steaming plates of delicious food, not knowing where he would start. "But first, a toast." He raised his glass of Chardonnay. "We survived another week, nothing exploded, and most importantly no one died, though I daresay we came close several times. And of course, a toast to us, for keeping our own tempers and not ending up on anti-depressants. Cheers!" They clinked their glasses and he took a sip of the smooth Chardonnay.

"Ah that hits the spot. Now pardon me as I 'tuck in'," Hank said with a big grin and began loading up his plate, a bit of everything until his plate was full. He took a bite of the Louisiana Crab Cake and his eyes closed in heavenly bliss. "Mmmm this is simply magnificent. Absolutely delicious," Hank raved as he tried a bite of everything on his plate. "You've done it again Rogue, did I mention how happy I am that you decided to stay with us?" He smiled at her and dug into the delicious Southern Food. "Now as we were saying on the Paragons, I do actually believe that they have it very together. The team is rather close and trust each other immensely. My worry lies in how Lorelai and Kyle will assimilate into the team. That original bunch could be very nasty, and it does not help that the two new members fit into that slot snugly. Those two have a hard road in store for them. You know better than anyone though, you look after those kids as much as Kurt does," Hank said dabbing his mouth with a napkin before helping himself to her famous casserole.

[Rogue]

Rogue's time with Beast were always beneficial. Besides having a great time with a friend, Beast always had a way to calm a person even when they were too upset for words. Logic and wisdom was Beast's gift and Rogue was so pleased to have such a friend and colleague. Raising her glass for the toast she smiled and said "Cheers" before sipping they delicious wine. "Now dig in," she concluded while having a bite of her own Louisiana Crab Cakes. It was a recipe she picked up for Gambit when they were actually together. After several tries, and her own knowledge of southern food, Rogue made the recipe her own.

She was also happy to be staying with the X-Men. She did miss her real home and everyone that was there. However her other purpose for staying was to maybe find Gambit another way. She truly wanted to find him, discover what it was that made him leave. Talking to Emma about it would surely make her feel better about everything she felt and saw after using Cerebra. Even after two months everything was fresh in her mind. Since no major problems had occurred to the mansion, Rogue had time to think about what she saw and found. She know she had a certain hint about where in the world Gambit was. But she didn't and couldn't point out where or even on what continent to start.

Shaking the though out of her head, Rogue continued to enjoy her meal. "Ah'm very happy to be stayin'," she agreed. "It'll help me out on clearin' up ma head ya know? Gettin' back my powers can really be a pain." She took a piece of a Fried Green Tomato and smiled at the taste. She then thought about the Paragons and "how well" the adjusted to knew people. She couldn't help but giggle. "Well you know they are all about testin' the newbies. They want to make sure that you can be on your own and not rely completely on your team. But that is the problem. They look at teamwork as a sign of weakness, not strength. Scott must get a kick out of that." She laughed at the thought of Scott teaching the Paragons about teamwork. It was practically his motto.

[BEAST]

A short pleasant chuckle escaped Hank and he nodded in agreement while sampling the fried green tomatoes. "I imagine he certainly would. You know Scott, his philosophy is like the one Charles taught us. He believes that the only way to achieve peace is for us all to unite and work together. The Corsairs reflect those teachings to the 'T' as they say," he said and took a sip of the Chardonnay. The food on his plate was already more than half gone and he was helping himself to some more portions of the delicious food as the Dukes of Dixieland played melodiously through the air.

"I must say that this week has been more full than normal, at least for myself. Every night this week I had somebody in my lab. Monday night I was running some tests for Ms. Whelan again, Tuesday I was patching up some of the New Mutants after their practice, Wednesday was perhaps my busiest day," Hank shook his head remembering that day as he finished the casserole on his plate and went to add some more. "That morning started with me patching up Mr. Van Alstyne again after he got fresh with Ms. Whelan. Again. And then I saw him in the afternoon. Again... after his altercation in gym class. After spending three hours regrowing his teeth and reconstructing the bones to all be in place, I got a visit from Lurai and Alejandro. They got into a slight altercation as well, though Lurai left with only a scratch or two and Alejandro was barely standing."

He had to smile when he saw the look on Rogue's face. "Yes I know, no surprise in that fact. He had a mild concussion and rather beat up. I took care of it and gave him medication, and then without my knowledge he took the medication out of the lab without informing me." Hank shook his head again, almost exasperated as he remembered how that day went. "Later when Emma and I were having some of that wine from Napa Valley that I favor, in comes in young Ms. Moore out of breath followed by Ms. Okami and then Ian comes in with Alex slung over his shoulder. It appears that Alex abused his medication too much and it effected his results. I was most disturbed that he took the medication out of my lab without my knowledge," he said shaking his head again. "And do keep in mind Rogue that this was all in one day." Hank had been exhausted that night and slept like a rock.

Taking a moment to sample the delectable meal some more and refill his Chardonnay, he chuckled slightly as he thought back to the past couple of days. "Yesterday was not as busy as yesterday, just several appointments and Niki helping me reorganize my files. Today however, I had spent several hours doing tests on Mr. Nomis, and in the process he ended up overexerting himself. It was not a good run for him, let me tell you," Hank said with a solemn shake of his head. "You know Rogue, it is sometimes hard to remember with these students why I continue to stay here. However then there are those moments when I watch some of these students and I remember why we do all this in the first place." A look of calm pride resided on his face as he looked across the table to meet Rogue's green eyes and smiled.

[Rogue]

Rogue smiled warmly. "Why do ya think Ah love it here?" she asked while taking another bite of her delicious food. "Everythang that Xavier did for me and us was totally worth it. He helped me more than Ah thought anyone could, even myself. Ah want to do that with our students Hank. And Ah know that's what you feel to." She smiled wider while placing her hand upon that of her furry colleague. "Now keep eatin'," she continued. "Food heals all wounds... and stress o' course." She started digging into her famous casserole and sighed at the amazing flavor. "Ah am too good," she said with a laugh. That fell short however as her memories started to flood into her head. Gambit was there, as well as her journey through Antarctica. The bitter cold and countless hours of searching and researching. Once she got her message from Emma, it was actually a bit of a relief to leave. However her other half wanted to stay. For now, being back at the mansion was best for her.

She controlled her head, thinking of better things to occupy her mind. The dinner with Beast and of course any movie with The Duke would be able to do that. But her consistent flashes of memories were starting to get a bit out of hand. Ah gotta get Emma to help me out with these, she concluded. She took a nice sip of the Chardonnay and continued to eat. "Ah just hope that Kyle and Lorelai are doing well. When it comes to their powers, Ah'm more worried about Kyle. According to what you just told me, he still isn't gettin' a good understandin' on his limits. And knowin' him personally, he likes to push 'em a bit much. But he and Lorelai are still determined people. That is what the Paragons are," she said while using her fork to make her point.

Finished her tomato, she smirked at the fact that her own lesson was coming up soon. "Oh Ah can't wait for flyin' class," she continued. "Dealin' with all them kids is going to be a blast. And they say Logan is tough... wait till they go through me. But back to you, how are ya feelin' after all that? Ah'm sure my company is more than satisfyin'". She giggled and leaned back in her chair, allowing the food to settle in her stomach before continuing more. It was a lot that she made, but she knew that between Beast and her, leftovers were never something to worry about. "Since we are talkin' about Kyle," she said. "Ah sense something from him, like he can't trust me or somethin' like that. Ah didn't really notice it until he came back, and it has been that way since Ah came back. Ah know Ah can come off a bit strong at times but Ah don't think Ah've been like that towards him. From your experience, what do you thank Hank?"