Emma was trying to do her best not to gloat. When Sean, who saw the girls as substitute daughters, found out that Paige had a date with Robert Drake, he had acted very paternally. He grounded her. Sean had gone so far as to lock down the school, making it nearly impossible for anyone to sneak on or off campus. Then he called her big brother.

What was said during that conversation, Emma didn't know. She was too busy revising her code on appropriate behavior for the students. Dates were now subject to approval from a parent, older sibling, guardian, or teacher.

Sean hung up the phone and canceled the lock down. He would take Sam's approach and make it difficult for Paige to enjoy her date. At one o'clock, he scheduled an intense group drill. ***

Jubilee looked at Paige as they were getting dressed for the workout. "Like, man, I can't believe yer going though with this!"

Paige fastened her uniform as she grinned. "Jealous?"

"No way, dude! Wolvie wouldn't let me do something so dumb. He says that I should wait a bit for real dating and then date guys my age."

Privately, Jubilee wanted to wait to date until she found someone she really wanted to go out with. Jono was too gloomy, Angelo was too emotionally distant, Ev was too normal, but he had potential. If he ever worked up the nerve, she'd go out with him. "What about Jono?"

Paige gave her a dismissive glance. "Jono didn't want that kind of relationship, and I refuse to waste my time chasing a guy that doesn't want me." It was one of the tricks she had gotten from reading a self help book.

M looked at her blond teammate. "Still, Bobby? I would have pictured you with someone more mature, different."

Jubilee nodded. "Bobby's a man, age-wise at least, and not one of the boys we live with." This wasn't going to work out, Jubilee knew, so she was trying to warn her friend. Besides, she knew that anything that Paige did would have an effect on her, because her brother and Wolvie were on the same team. She didn't want an age limit put on the guys she could date.

Paige smiled. "I have my reasons for wanting to go out on a date with him." M and Jubilee exchanged a look and shrugged. There was nothing they could do to stop her from making a mistake. ***

While the team was practicing, Moira was going over her lesson plan. Her body was stiff today and she was running a low-grade fever. After finishing up her plans, Moira wanted to take a nice hot bath and fall into bed.

Sean knocked on the door. "Um, Moira." Moira looked up and smiled.

"Aye?"

"Rahne's date tonight-- do ye want me tae give him the once over?" Sean felt somewhat responsible for Rahne. After all these years of dating her adopted mom, he had come to think of Rahne as almost a daughter.

"A donna know. Do ye have it in ye to scare Bobby and Sam?" Moira shook her head, "A wish they made a shot for common sense."

"So do I," Sean said. After a moment, he asked, "Want tae go out and get something tae eat after they leave?"

Moira thought about it. She was almost done with her work and she would feel better after a nap and some medicine, but she wouldn't feel that good. "Why not get it in?" she suggested. Sean was making the effort to meet her half way, she would do the same for him.

"Sounds good." He could bribe the other students to go out to the movies. "Sounds real good." ***

Rahne was roaming the school, trying to burn off nervous energy. Sam was just a friend. They had been friends for four years. That was all there was to it.

Why was she so nervous? Could it be the fact she had feelings for him? Feelings that, thanks to the Reverend's teachings, she was uncomfortable with. Feelings, she was sure, Sam didn't have.

And to top it all off, she didn't have decent clothes for the night. Not a dress for the show, nor a change for after. Years of living with different mutant teams had taught her to pack light. Mr. Wisdom had the right idea with his three piece, interchangeable suit. But that didn't help her now. ***

Emma saw the girl in front of her house and smiled. Here was a chance to make Paige feel even more uncomfortable on her date, and score some brownie points. Rahne turned towards her and waved. Emma motioned for the younger girl to join her.

Rahne walked uncomfortably up to the house. She was trying to forgive the woman, but considering all the mind tricks Emma had played on the New Mutants, it was hard. Everybody deserved a second or third chance, she reminded herself, especially if they were trying to make up for the mistakes of the past.

Emma smiled as kindly as she could and asked, "Got a dress for tonight?" Rahne shook her head, and Emma frowned, pensively. "I wish I could help..." It was hard to imagine the younger girl in a dress owned by Emma. After a second of considering her wardrobe, she continued, "I do have one thing you could try."

Rahne had hoped to borrow something from Paige or Monet for tonight. But it was clear that Emma was trying, so Rahne would try to be nice. "Let's see," she said as she followed Emma into the house.

Trying to avoid looking at actual objects around the house, Rahne focused on Emma's words. "It's something I bought a while ago, when one of my suppliers liked classy women. Wore it once and never again." What would Emma need with a saddle and handcuffs? Rahne shook her head, and made a point to ask Kitty about it later. The flustered look on Kitty's face would make up for any embarrassment she would feel by asking the question.

Emma held up a white dress. "What do you think?" It didn't look like much on the hanger, but Rahne decided to be nice enough to try it on. Quickly, she went into a guest bedroom and slipped it on.

It wasn't a dress, it was a Dress. It hugged her trim, athletic body in all the right places, showing off the figure she spent hours a day developing. The high neckline brought attention to her swan neck, and the billowing off the shoulders allowed her the look of a cape. It showed more cleavage than she was used to, but it was done in a discreet manner. Rahne couldn't hold back a giggle as she turned around. For once in her life, she knew she was seeing a knockout in the mirror. "Thank ye!" she shouted to Emma.

"Well, come out so I can see it." Emma had selected some tasteful jewelry to go with the dress and was in the process of getting some other stuff to help Rahne look her best. Rahne skipped out, looking every inch the beautiful woman she was. "Very nice." Quickly, Emma outlined the steps Rahne needed to take to start a facial. It would be very intimidating for Paige to spend the night next to such a gorgeous female. ***

Rogue carefully looked Sam over. "Ah don't like them jeans on ya. The pocket don't fit right." Sam turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of what Rogue meant. He looked like a puppy chasing his tail. She clarified, holding back a laugh, "Ya butt ain't helped by 'em."

Betsy agreed. "Try on a pair of Lee's. They do do wonders for your figure." She was drawing on years of modeling experience.

"Gee, thanks. Is my dressing the center of the X-verse?" Sam muttered under his breath. All he had done was ask Rogue which of two shirts she liked better. The next thing he knew, every X-Woman was in his room, giving him advice.

"No, not the center," Storm started. "But this is payback for those spandex outfits we wear all the time." Betsy gave her a high- five, as Jean handed him another pair of jeans. He walked into his closet, closed the door and slipped them on.

How did I lose control? he wondered to himself. This wasn't a big deal, he and Rahne had done things together before. They'd do things together later. It wasn't like Rahne would care what the jeans he wore would do for his body. Then why did he? And more important, why did he care that she wouldn't care?

He stepped out of the closet. "Well?" He did a turn for the ladies, trying not to hear Jean mentally singing "I'm so sexy it hurts."

"That one does wonders for your front swing, baby!" Rogue said encouragingly, taking an expression from the song "Romeo". Storm agreed.

"Gives new meaning to the term 'Tush Push'," Betsy offered. Why did Ah ever share my love of country music with 'em yanks? And then he reminded himself that they were showing that they cared for him, and smiled.

"Now all we have to do is get you a top picked out," Jean suggested. "What about this one?" She held up a flannel top. Rogue rejected it.

"Some of his dance shirts say 'Country Music Geek', some say 'Farm Boy', that one just says 'Ah'm warm and cuddly.'" She got up to dig though Sam's clothes. "Ah thought Ah bought ya a good shirt for Christmas. How about one of the ones we wear when we go dancing?" Rogue shared Sam's love of country music, and was quite glad to have someone to go dancing with her. They had gotten to the point that they competed in several local contests.

"Isn't that the idea we want Rahne to get?" Storm asked. "That Sam is warm and cuddly?" Jean laughed. Sam blushed.

"Come on now," he said as nicely as he could. "Rahne and Ah are friends. Ah like the woman she's become--"

"Woman! He's noticed it!" Jean said proudly. "Sam, Rahne has grown up. She's no longer as shy and soft spoken. It makes her a good match for you."

Sam started to object. "Even if Ah could get her to see that, what makes y'all think we would be a good match?"

Rogue sighed, "Sugar, we've been lookin' around the gals we know. When you and Meltdown broke up, we couldn't find a better match. Rahne will tell ya to back off, but needs ya. You're both church goin' folks, which means a lot to ya both. That means ya have the same morals. Where she's strong, you need help. And vice- versa. Ya both innocent, in a knowing way. And ya got that Look."

"What look?" He was flattered that the women had put their heads together looking for someone for him.

Jean smiled knowingly. "You have to know it to see it. But Rogue's right, you do have the Look." She handed him a top to try on. ***

Bobby threw a pair of jeans in a tote bag and added a top. He could hear the women giggling down the hall, and he knew he was deliberately being left out. In their own silent way, the X-Women were telling him what they thought of him dating a girl so much younger than him.

Logan wasn't being so silent. "I don't see how Sam's handling it so well. If it was Jubilee, I'd barbeque your balls." Bobby gulped. "Even if the girl asked, you should have had the brains God gave an earthworm and said no."

Bobby had been so flattered that someone would call him up and ask him out, he hadn't really thought about the age difference. If anything, he had thought going out with Paige might make Emma notice him. He hadn't considered what others would think. As usual, he had acted without thinking things through.

Gambit was standing beside Logan. "Gambit got two words for you: jail bait. No matter what goes on in de hills, she be a minor." The look was almost threatening. "Sam don't kill you, Gambit will."

The thought of Gambit standing up for a woman's honor was almost ludicrous. Bobby hid his smile and said, "Don't worry guys, I'm going to give it two dates to let her down easily."

"And how do you know that she isn't giving you one to let you down easy?" Logan asked him. "The girl's smart enough to know that this won't work, and I bet she's counting on this to get that guy Jono to pay attention to her." Bobby dismissed the thought he was being used. Paige was too naive to try anything like that. And she was too little girlish to be that driven.

Drive was something he liked about Emma. Not only was Emma driven, she was good. Her business sense was flawless, she could scam and plot her way to the top. Her way of dressing was one example of that.

And there was a certain softness, tenderness, to the woman. It was hidden, and as much as he was the only X-Man to give her credit for her business sense, he was the only one to see it.

Emma fascinated him, while Paige was only interesting. Sure, Paige would grow up to be a wonderful woman, but Emma was a full-bodied female. Comparing the two was like comparing Chardonnay to grape flavored Kool-aid.

Bobby shook his head, trying to get Emma out of his thoughts. He was dating her student, as much as he might wish it was her. She was out of his league. Muttering, he walked by Logan and Gambit, and headed towards the shower area.

Logan grabbed his arm and stopped him. "And for the record, let me remind you of why you're never to date Jubilee. I've got six I can't get rid of, and you've got two you want to keep." Bobby gulped and quickly walked out of the room. ***

Moira was trying to sleep so she would have enough energy to sit though the meal. She didn't want to let Sean catch on to how she felt. It would be too hard to explain how her energy was disappearing day by day. She didn't want anybody to feel sorry for her.

Moira punched her pillow. She had enough of people feeling sorry for her when she'd left her abusive husband. Raising a child alone, she had learned to be strong. And she wasn't going to let anybody or anything take that away from her. Not even the man she loved.

She got up, unable to get any sleep. She should be helping Rahne get ready for her date with Sam. Left to her own devices, Moira was afraid that Rahne would put on her Sunday best and some lipstick.

Rahne wasn't in her room, nor in the gym, so Moira decided to pick out a nice dress from the replicator. She settled on a simple, demure, black dress that Rahne would like. For the dancing afterwards, Moira selected a pair of blue jeans and a blue top. The machine made the clothes and Moira set them on Rahne's bed. ***

Emma motioned for Rahne to sit down so she could do her hair. "I have to warn you, I haven't done this for anybody in a long time. Not since Cordelia was two." There was something almost maternal about Emma's smile as she started brushing Rahne's hair.

"How auld is she now?" Rahne asked politely.

"Sixteen. She's a lot like me, too. My parents raised us the same." This wasn't the Emma Rahne was used to, this was someone she could almost like. "Tomorrow's her seventeenth birthday."

Rahne quickly did the math. Emma would have been sixteen when Cordelia was born. "A always wanted a sister. Sometimes, A dream aboot finding me birth mum an' gittin' a sister at the same time." She quickly thought about Brigit Shane and then asked, "You two close?"

Emma shook her head. "No, very distant." After a moment, "Did you see the outfit I put out for you to try on to go dancing in?" Rahne nodded. It was a short blue cotton skirt that made her movements seem more graceful. The matching top was a peasant top that Rahne could make as demure or as sexy as she wanted.

"A love it. Thanks for all ye help." After a moment, Rahne asked, "Are ye doing all this just because of what's going on between Sean an' Moira an' ye?" It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"No." Emma curtly dismissed the idea. "I'm doing this so Paige feels as awkward as she can tonight. I want her to know she's out of her league. And reminding her that no matter what she tries, she's not a full grown woman, is a great idea. Nothing is as confidence deflating as seeing a woman that you think isn't as pretty as you looking three times as glamorous."

Rahne nodded. She and Sam had decided to do anything they could to subtly make that point to Paige. As if looking prettier than she ever had before in her life was one way, she'd just 'suffer' though it.

Emma's mind was a million miles away from that moment in time. Carefully, she brushed Rahne's hair, thinking about the last time she'd brushed Cordelia's hair, the last time she had snuck in to see her. A sad, wishful smile crossed her face as she remembered farther back in time, holding the baby girl and promising the infant that she'd get a special treat when they got to Grandmother's house. ***

Sam nervously slipped on his jacket and smiled in the mirror. He wasn't drop dead handsome like some men, or charming and suave as Gambit, but he was cute and earnest. Trustworthy and dependable, someone to take home to meet the parents. An' then sneak out the back door with someone like Gambit, he added mentally.

It didn't matter a lick what he was feeling, Rahne didn't like him any longer. She had been so humiliated by Gossamyr revealing her crush on him, she had to be totally over it. She had moved on to Rictor, and then after Genosha, Alex. They were friends, that's all they could be.

He looked up to see his friend Roberto da Costa standing at the door. "Getting ready for the big date?"

Sam was fumbling with the bow for his tux. Berto walked over and started to tie it for him. Being the son of a wealthy Brazilian businessman gave him certain advantages over the Kentucky farm boy in the area of formalwear. "Yeah, I guess."

"All I have to say is, if you don't tell her how beautiful she is this time, I won't feel sorry for you when she hits you in the stomach." Berto quickly finished tying the tie. A long time ago, several of the New Mutants had dressed Rahne during a slumber party. Sam hadn't recognized his friend and had been rewarded for that by a punch in the stomach.

Sam chuckled at the memory of Rahne hitting him so long ago. "That was for me?" he asked. That was one way to take his breath away.

"Sure wasn't for me," Berto answered, "And it wasn't for any other guy on the team."

Sam smiled. Well, what did he know anyway?

He continued by saying, "This means Meltdown will never like Rahne, you know." Sam nodded. Tabitha had had a crush on Rictor when Rictor had a crush on Rahne, so animosity between the two girls was nothing new. "Domino took her on a special mission this morning, she doesn't know a thing." Berto smiled his "lady-killer" smile. "Some one has to break it to her gently."

That made Sam snort. He could see Berto and Tabitha dating just about as well as, well, him and Rahne hitting it off. "Git out," he told his friend, as he threw a sweatshirt at him. ***

Rahne walked into the girl's dorm, ready to chaperone Paige's date. Thanks to Emma, she was dressed, made-up, and had her hair done. She didn't need a mirror to know that she looked good, she knew it in her heart.

Quickly, she slipped into her room and got out a tote bag to hold her change of clothes. On her bed, she saw the dress her mother had picked out. Until that day, she would have been happy to wear it. Its plain lines hid her figure, nothing about it drew attention to her. It was a simple, black dress. It was boring.

Rahne didn't want to wear something so mundane, not when she had the ability to know that she could look good. That dress looked like half the things in her wardrobe, traditionally demure, and totally boring. If Emma hadn't taken the time to show her what a pretty person she could be, she wouldn't object. But now, Rahne knew it was in her power to make herself look great, and she quickly made plans to go shopping with Kitty to replace the old clothes. Something new for someone new.

An impish grin crossed her face as she laid it on Paige's bed. Along with it, she carefully packed a flannel top and old pair of blue jeans.