Logan's head throbbed from the flash of morning sunlight as he walked out of the mansion. Had to much damn whiskey last night. Three full bottles had never hurt him this bad before. Hell, he was probably going soft. That's what living at a school will do to a person. That and loosing someone you love.

Jean's face fluttered through his mind's eye. Her short red hair, that incredible smile. She had been everything a guy like him could want. But as a faint smile began to creep onto his face, Logan sorely remembered their conversation in the woods.

Girls always flirt with the bad boy. But in the end, they bring home the good guy.

It had been eight months since that night and Logan could still see that dark wooden cove as clearly as if he were there. He had wanted Jean, that's for damn sure, but she had made her choice. Scott. After the fact, he'd been angry to say the least. Trained day and night, never leaving his room except to eat and piss off Scooter. But now the ache had dulled a bit, leaving Logan feeling empty and for the first time in his life... completely alone.

The sky was bright blue and the gardens always looked impeccable in early fall, the perfection mocking Logan as he slowly walked through the grounds. The air was crisp, a sign of colder weather to come and the aroma from the flowers weighed heavily on the breeze: roses mixed with daisies and... Female? Logan tilted his head back and inhaled deeply. There was a woman in the gardens. She was asleep and dreaming. And she had a cat.

Logan slowly moved through the stone and soil maze until he came upon the young girl. She had curled up on one of the small white benches, head on her hands, feet dangling off the other side, and the cat curled tightly against her stomach. Who in the hell was she? And why did she smell so damn good. It was obvious she was dirty, but still, Logan couldn't shake her sweet scent. Like wild strawberries and clean clothes out on the line.

"Damn." Logan swore, which in hindsight, might not have been the best move. The cat jerked awake suddenly and lunged straight for Logan's throat. "Damn it you beast, get the hell off of me!" The tiny cat scratched at his jugular, obviously going for the kill, except being all of two pounds, it really couldn't do much more than go for the annoyance.

"Catherine! Get your kitty ass back over here right now." The girl had sat up, her long dark hair flowing wildly down her shoulders. And as soon as the cat registered her command it leapt to the ground and raced over to her side, sitting as peaceful as a statue. The girl's bright green eyes dug deep into Logan. She was alone and afraid.

"Who in the hell are you?" Nice Logan, go for the pleasant greeting why doncha? "Look, I'm sorry, I just meant... Who in the hell are you?" Her laugh was rich and warm and it reached places in Logan that he had thought were long dead.

"My name is Rachel. A couple of goons chased me to your fence, so I hopped it and found this oh so comfy bench to sleep on." Her smiling facade fell away and worry etched across her soft face. "I hope that's ok."

"You hopped the fence?"

"Yes."

"The twelve foot, rot-iron fence? You just hopped right over it?" Logan couldn't believe what he was hearing!

"Yes! What's the big deal?" Rachel knew what the big deal was. Hopping a twelve foot fence wasn't something a human could do. It was something only a mutant could handle. A mutant like her.

"Ok, I think you need to come inside and see the Professor."

His hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Normally Rachel would have jerked away and started running, but the tiny sparks of electricity from his touch kept her still. Something about this man was different. She got the strangest feeling that they were connected and that he would never hurt her. She lifted her eyes and met his intent stare. And then before she knew it, she was following the large and quite nice looking man into the biggest house she had ever seen, with Miss Katie tight on her heels.

From the perfect view point of standing behind him, Rachel could see he was amazingly built! Tight arms and a wide back tapered into a solid waste and a butt that any girl would die to 

run her hand over. His dingy Levi's clung to every curve of that delectable tush, and by the time he stopped in front of a very large wooden door, she was practically drooling. She was also right up against him. Oops! In her extreme day dream, she had forgotten to stop.

"Um, sorry. I was... uh... distracted?"

His dark brown eyes warmed with a hint of amusement. "I bet you were." Dang! She had been caught! "Now if you can pull your eyes away from my ass for more than a second, there is someone in here I want you to meet."

Her cheeks flared red, and for a second Logan thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. What? The cutest what? He had to get a grip! This was some stray, with her very own attack cat! She wasn't cute, she was... scary! Logan ripped the door open and practically shoved her in, slamming the thick door behind them.

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