Hola. I know I should update Refuge, but this popped into my head and I couldn't resist. It's a series of vignettes, AU, all following the same storyline. It'll be out of order. Main pairing is Kiotr, with a little Romy, one-sided Johnda, and other little pairings.

NOTE: This is AU; mutants were revealed to the public before the X-Men were even formed. So, the actual "X-Team" is gonna be a lil different. Most of the canon characters, plus some from the comics, will be in here but you might be surprised at how they're introduced. Also, this kinda starts somewhere near the beginning, moves around, and such. So it isn't in chronological order.

"Don't you ever get lonely?" She stretched out across my bed on her back with little regard to my personal space. The oversized T-shirt inched up her legs, revealing nothing due to the boxers she wore as shorts. Her shining brunette hair spilled across my comforter, and her pale blue eyes were wide as she looked at me.

"Lonely?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be lonely?"

That was the first time I heard her laugh. She flipped around onto her stomach and let out that beautiful, cheerful laugh. The high, tinkling sound seemed so out of place in my dark room.

"Well, you obviously don't let anyone get to know you, do you?"

"You've known me for only three hours." I pointed out softly.

"So?" She shrugged. "You're not exactly special or different." At this, the corners of my lips tugged up in an involuntary smile. She rolled her eyes. "I've known people like you before. The dark, mysterious type."

"I should have left you in the rain." I looked at her irritably, as if this little beam of life was the cause of any troubles. She laughed again, as if my doubts meant absolutely nothing to her, and stood up. She moved curiously toward the wall, eyeing some of my paintings.

"Are you an artist?" She asked softly. She turned to look at me, and I was immediately stunned by her beauty. Her features were soft in the pale light. Her hair hung over her shoulders, still damp from the rain. The large shirt I had loaned her made her look even more petite.

"I suppose." I looked at the painting rather than her face. "That is my sister."

"She's beautiful." She held her finger a hair's breadth from the oil of my painting. Somehow, I knew the hundreds of meanings to her words. "Where are you from?"

"You are very curious."

"Naturally." She looked at me once more. "But you are very closed off."

"Why were you out in the rain?" I asked instead. I remembered her large, frightened eyes when I had touched her shoulder; as if she were running from something or someone. She was shivering and I couldn't decide if there were raindrops or teardrops dripping down her face. Without thinking, I wanted to help her. This fragile, cold girl seemed so sad that my mouth offered to take her home to warm her up before my mind could stop it.

"Nu-uh!" She giggled. "If you get to be closed off, so do I!"

I pursed my lips. She took one look at this new expression and smiled. It lit up her face like she had turned on some secret light inside herself.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" I asked softly. "Somewhere you need to be?"

"Oh." The smile fell away to show discomfort. "I, uh… I don't really know if I do, I guess."

"You guess?"

Her eyes flitted to my face, and she paused momentarily. Something in her face was familiar.

"I don't know." She laughed sheepishly. "I really need to plan things out better. Now, I'm stuck in New York with nothing to do and nowhere to go."

About an hour later, she was sound asleep on the couch. I suppressed a sigh. What was I doing, inviting a strange girl I didn't know into my home? I had just mastered my fluency in English. I was working for a man that would doubtfully appreciate my bringing a human girl to the apartment he paid for. And, of course, I was a mutant.

It was a terrible idea to let her stay. I should have found out where she lived and taken her home. I should have left her frightened in the street.

But I didn't.

Instead, I cooked her breakfast.

I decided it was worth it once she stumbled blearily into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"God, that was the best sleep I've had in, like, forever!" She grinned at me. "What're you making? I'll totally help if you want."

She seemed much more perky now that she had slept and felt comfortable around me. I frowned at the simple pancakes frying before me.

"That is not necessary, Katya."

"Katya?" She repeated, a funny little smile appearing on her face. "You already have a pet name for me? Aw, Petey, I'm touched!"

"Petey?" I echoed incredulously. That girl made me doubt myself constantly; once I had made a decision (or realized I was happy with my stupidity), she made me wish otherwise.

"What's wrong with Petey?"

"My name is Piotr. As I told you yesterday."

"But I can't pronounce it." She rolled her eyes at me. "I don't even know your last name, Pete. And I slept in your apartment!" Her eyes were wide.

"On the couch." I reminded her gently as I put some pancakes on a plate and handed them to her. "Completely chaste, yes?"

"Yeah." She laughed awkwardly. "Ugh. I dunno. My mom always thought of girls that did stuff like this as total sluts. I guess she never really got the whole platonic thing, right?"

I gave a noncommittal shrug. I was trying to sort out my own mind. Why was I so focused on that girl? A girl I'd known less than twenty four hours already intrigued me more than anything I'd seen in America. It was strange that I should act so unnaturally, so out of character.

Then again, I had never been able to stop myself from offering help to someone so innocent that seemed to be in need. I supposed that was all this was, and today I would send her on her way.

And return to my life.

We ate in silence. It was strangely comfortable. This girl, this innocent and mysterious girl, seemed to fit perfectly into my routine. She finished eating before I had even started, and cheerfully hopped down from the bar stool to clean her dishes.

"You don't have to do that." I looked at her, cheerfully whistling as she rinsed her plate.

"Sure. You took me in for the night, and let me wear your clothes." She laughed. "Uh… Anyway, it's like the least I can do for you."

I decided against arguing. I liked the silence and I knew she wasn't going to give in if I bothered. She was not the same girl I had met on the street, sad and terrified, soaked to the bone from the rain. I wondered briefly how old she was. She shouldn't have been out by herself if she was as young as she looked.

"Uh, hello?"

"Yes?" I jumped at her voice.

"I asked if you cared if I used your shower. I'm way grimy!" She shuddered. The rain had washed away whatever grime she spoke of, but I nodded. "Where is it?"

I showed her to my bathroom.

"Your clothes are probably dry now." I mumbled. "Would you like me to get them for you?"

"Aw, Petey!" She teased. "And here I thought I had you all figured out! That'd be like way great."

While she was in the shower, I found myself sketching. I always seemed to sketch when I was thinking, allowing my mind to run rampart and my hands to move of their own accord. I tried to figure out what to do about this little problem. I couldn't stand to be rude and demand she leave. I was raised to treat a woman better than that, no matter her age. At the same time, I seriously doubted her staying would be a very good thing either.

There were dozens of reasons she should leave. She was a human. She was young and innocent- two things that Sabretooth seemed to love destroying. He doubted his employer or fellow employees would enjoy dropping in to find her in the apartment. And, she most likely had her own life. She needed to be in school.

I drew back my hand and sighed. Glancing down at the paper, I saw a smiling likeness of her face.