Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution or any of its characters.

Katelyn Emberse is an original character


Chapter 2: Smoke and Knick-knacks

The next few hours flew by for Katelyn and she was in a daze of motion and change. The four of them, the Professor, Katelyn, Kitty, and the strange woman driving who called herself Storm, left the school for Katelyn's house. Ms. Wallace and Xavier had sorted out the paperwork while Kitty helped Katelyn pack. At first Katelyn had balked at the girl's offer but it didn't turn out so bad. The girl was shy now and said little; only did as she was instructed but she was active in finding things to do. Katelyn even smiled when a favorite song played on the radio and she caught Kitty singing along with it. Katelyn had little in the way of possessions so it took no time at all and soon they were under way in a dark luxury rental car. Storm was driving with Kitty riding in the front beside her. That left Katelyn in the back with the professor. Luckily she was tired and it was easy to daydream as she watched the scenery go by. Even more important, they were willing to let her drift away in peace.

Katelyn nodded off sometime after the first hour or so. She awoke late in the afternoon to the gentle shaking of her shoulder from which she automatically shrugged away.

"Katelyn, we're here." It took her a moment to recognize the Professor's voice then she sat up rubbing her eyes.

"Welcome to the Institute" That was Storm. Katelyn looked out the window up at the immense building before them. It was a mansion.

"I get a private room in that?!"

Xavier chuckled, "Yes you do." He was heartened by the show of enthusiasm though she seemed to have collected herself now and was looking sullen again. She couldn't hide the shine of excitement in her eyes though.

Katelyn climbed out of the car to see that there was already a boy getting into the trunk and unloading her things. He turned when he saw her and grinned hugely, holding out his hand.

"Hi! I'm Kurt! You must be Katelyn."

She'd met his type before; the over-enthusiastic, needy type. Well, sheer enthusiasm didn't get far with her. Many of the foster kids in her other homes had been just as eager to make new friends but she'd never had need of it before. She nodded and gave a small smile of acknowledgement but ignored the hand shake. He stood there awkwardly for a moment then disappointment crossed his face and he resumed gathering her three small bags. She turned to the Professor who was looking a little stern. Great. He expected her to make friends.

"Follow Kurt, he'll take you to your room. You'll have some time to settle and unpack then I want you to find me in the garden, someone will help you find it if you need help."

"What are we meeting for?" she asked, feeling a little rude. And a little disturbed that she cared.

"Your first lesson," he smiled. "I'd like to see what we're working with."

Katelyn nodded and turned, practically fleeing after Kurt with apprehension knotting her insides. In the next instant everything was momentarily forgotten when she entered the building. A magnificent staircase was immediately before the double-door entrance. Everywhere she looked she saw lush carpet, ornately carved wooden panels, paintings, and art of all kinds. She didn't have time to gawk because Kurt was almost up the staircase, but she was completely dazed as she hurried after him. She had not been prepared for this. Kurt turned right down a main hallway on the second floor and continued to a room all the way at the end. There was a gothic-looking girl leaned against the wall as if waiting for them. Kurt turned to her smiling, her former slight by all appearances forgotten.

"Katelyn, this is Rogue. Rogue, Katelyn."

"Hi," the girl said warmly and in that short syllable Katelyn could hear the thick southern drawl. She smiled despite herself. "I'm here to help ya unpack." Oh yeah. Definitely southern.

"Awesome," she mumbled. Looked like she wasn't going to be left alone. Kurt set her bags down on the floor and, leaving with a cheery "See you at dinner!", Katelyn and Rogue were left standing about awkwardly. There was nothing for it. Katelyn heaved a sigh and picked up a duffel, unzipping it and dumping its contents on the bed. It contained her jeans, a worn but still thick denim jacket, a couple of western-style collared shirts, and a few tank tops. All of them were still on hangers even if they were somewhat jumbled.

"I'll hang this stuff in the closet for ya," Rogue offered and Katelyn nodded, glad for the initiative. She knelt down and opened another bag. It held her t-shirts, sweats, socks and underwear. Looking around she spotted a dresser with a vanity mirror. She lifted the bag over to it and stuffed the clothes into appropriate drawers. She turned for the last bag and saw Rogue also reaching for it. They smiled and Rogue hesitated, allowing Katelyn to pick it up. "So you're from Alabama right?" Rogue asked as Katelyn set the bag on the bed.

"Yeah," she answered. She surprised herself by adding, "What about you? You sound like you come from somewhere in the Heartland too."

Rogue grinned. "Yup we were practically neighbors. I'm from Mississippi. I was a foster kid too."

That actually sparked Katelyn's interest a little. "Oh yeah?" She gave a short conspiratorial laugh. "How many homes were you in?"

Rogue looked at her questioningly. "Just the one. My foster mom was pretty great. Why? What about you?"

Katelyn swallowed and answered, "Six," shrugging it off. She bent to unzip the bag that had briefly lain untouched, but stopped when Rogue answered with,

"Ww-wo-ww," stretching the word into three syllables. Katelyn looked up trying not to fear the reaction, but Rogue was smiling knowingly. "Trouble-maker huh?" and at Katelyn's expression, "Oh I raised a little hell myself."

"Oh yeah?" she challenged.

Rogue smiled back. "Yeah, but my foster mom kept me out of the worst of it. She always seemed to know when I was going to do something really dumb." Rogue laughed fondly and went to help Katelyn finish unpacking. Katelyn was grateful that Rogue wasn't pressing her but she didn't want the girl getting into too much in that bag.

"Uh just grab the shoes and belts and put them in the closet. I'll get the rest."

If the other girl caught her nervousness, she didn't show it. As soon as Rogue was headed to the closet Katelyn snatched the check box that was in the bag and shoved it under the bed. All that was left now was a plastic storage box full of makeup, a plain wooden jewelry box, and a shower tote. She tossed these on top of the dresser, threw the bags on the top shelf of the closet and sat down on the bed with a contented sigh. Rogue smiled and sat beside her.

"So, I was told to offer ya a tour of the place before I showed ya where to meet the Professor."

Katelyn groaned and looked up at Rogue, seeing both humor and sympathy on the girl's face.

"You don't have to."

"It's not the tour," Katelyn replied. "It's meeting the Professor."

"He's not so bad."

That wasn't the issue, but Katelyn didn't want to admit she was terrified of…what she could do. "He's creepy," she laughed nervously.

Rogue laughed. "Yeah. He just gets us way too well."

Katelyn looked at her condescendingly. "You don't think that's because he's reading exactly what's going on in your head?"

Instead of getting offended, Rogue gave her a smile of pity. "Of course it's because of his powers but he ain't like that. He just understands how the human mind works that well. I promise you. He is the most genuine person you'll ever meet. There ain't a dishonest bone in that man's body."

Katelyn didn't say anything. Not because she didn't want to argue. No, it was because she'd already gotten that feeling. She gave a sigh. The tour would put off this lesson thing at least. And it would end this conversation.

"Let's take that tour."

"Ok," Rogue laughed, taking the hint.

Rogue gave her the expected tour. She showed her where the bathrooms were and who lived in the rooms that they passed. They went downstairs and Rogue took her through the kitchen and dining area, the common room, and finally into the garage.

"Oh…My." Katelyn was so amazed she was practically speechless. There were several cars and SUVs that were impressive enough but over in the corner there was a small but beautiful collection of motorcycles and there at the end... "Ohmygoddirtbike!" Katelyn rushed over for a closer look but stopped short when she caught sight of the man tinkering with a red cruiser.

"Hey Logan!" Rogue called from behind her. The man turned as he stood and Katelyn caught the full force of him. He wasn't tall but he was massively stocky, the build of a brawler. Automatically she drew back her shoulders and cocked up her chin though her legs were itching to run. Whatever kind of mutant this was, it was a predator.

"This the new kid." He said simply, appearing uninterested.

"Yeah this is Katelyn," Rogue answered coming up beside them. "Katelyn this is Logan." They nodded at each other but neither spoke. Rogue broke the silence. "I think Katelyn was interested in your dirt bikes Logan."

Logan looked at her skeptically, an arrogant smile on his face. "Little girl, you'd best just stay away from bikes."

Katelyn's jaw clenched but she didn't reply. Instead she turned to Rogue. "It's about time for that lesson with the Professor isn't it?"

Rogue nodded and led the way out of the garage. "I know he seems…abrasive," she said at length, "Ok he is abrasive but he's really not so bad. You just have to get used to him."

"Yeah it's whatever," she answered, shrugging it off with her tone and a wave of her hand, "I know his type. I'll just ignore him and we'll be fine."

Rogue didn't answer and they made the rest of the way to the garden in silence. Rogue left her when they were in sight of the Professor and Katelyn had to close the distance feeling very suddenly alone and vulnerable.

"Well? What do you think so far?"

Katelyn shrugged. "S' not so bad."

"Well, you'll settle in in time," he replied, laughter in his eyes. "Well come. Sit here and let's see what you can do." He gestured to the chair across from him. She did as instructed then he gestured to a set of candles that had been placed on the patio table they sat at.

"I want you to light these."

She stared as if he'd asked her to fly.

"I'm serious. You can do this. Have you even tried?"

"Of course!" she said indignantly. He looked at her seriously.

"Have you really?"

She clenched her jaw and inhaled slowly, loudly, but she didn't reply.

"Katelyn, I know you're afraid of what you can do. Don't look at me like that," he smiled continuing, "You have every right to be afraid. You can do great and terrible things. In fact, I'm glad that you are afraid in a way. Fear shows that you respect the damage that you can cause. The ones who don't, they are the truly dangerous ones. In fact the only mutants more dangerous than those are the ones who can't control themselves at all."

Katelyn looked away uncomfortably, her head nothing but confusion. That last remark was obviously pointed but it was said so gently that she couldn't feel angry. She felt ashamed.

"I don't know where to even start," she said in a small voice, her mouth tense.

"Start wherever it's comfortable. Have you noticed any particular way the fire naturally comes out?"

"My hands, I think. At night…sometimes…"

"Ok then, start there."

Katelyn took a deep breath and stretched out her hand, pointing in the direction of a candle. Nothing happened. She focused hard on the candle, imagining it lit, but nothing happened. She focused on her hand, trying to feel the heat inside, but nothing happened.

Xavier watched her carefully, noticing how quickly she was getting frustrated. "I think you are thinking too much," he remarked. "The link between you and your gift is there somewhere in your mind. Eventually you won't even need to stop and think about it, but for now try to imagine things that remind you of your gift and then just, feel for it."

Again she gave him a look that questioned his sanity, but she turned back to the target and tried again. She tried to think about the times before and remembered she'd almost blazed Bianca that morning. Ok, try that. She tried to focus on everything Bianca had ever done to anger her, but nothing stirred. Bianca didn't even matter anymore. Ok, what was the time before? Last night… Katelyn all but shuddered, remembering the dream she'd had. It always made the heat inside her worse. Even now she felt emotions starting to boil inside, deep down where she kept them. Terror clouded her thoughts and she pulled back with a heavy breath.

"I-I can't," she said finally. She looked so broken for half a second that he felt his own heart breaking. Even now that her sullen look was back, he was seeing a broken-hearted child.

"Ok," he said finally. "That's enough for today." A look of surprise crossed her face. She hadn't expected to be that easy. "I just wanted to see where we were, remember? I think it's best if we let you settle in and get comfortable here before we push this too much."

Katelyn breathed a sigh of relief. "Speaking of getting settled in, when do I start getting to know my new school?"

The last part was said with poorly disguised sarcasm, but he ignored it. "Tomorrow, if that's all right. I feel it's best to get you settled in there as quickly as possible." Katelyn just nodded. First days were a pain but she'd learned it was just better to get it over with. Plus, she couldn't imagine what she would do all day in the mansion alone under the eye of the Professor. "All right then. The sun's starting to set; dinner should be getting started soon."

"We all eat together?" She didn't sound too enthusiastic about the prospect.

"For the most part. Come on, it'll be fine."

She followed him into the dining room then somehow found herself landed in a corner seat between Kurt and Logan of all people. The Professor sat opposite from the latter at the head of the table. She didn't know most of the other students but Kurt was quick to introduce her around the table. Try as she might she could not find it in herself to be rude enough to put him off. He was so genuinely eager to make sure that she felt comfortable and welcome she just couldn't. He even made sure she got servings of every dish on the table. At first she thought they were going to let her eat in peace but then suddenly she found herself the object of conversation.

"Are you looking forward to starting at Bayville tomorrow?" the red-head asked.

"I guess."

"Do you know what courses you're taking yet?" The one with the weird glasses. Scott.

"Not yet."

"I hope we have a class together!" Kitty said from the other side of Kurt. Katelyn just nodded at her.

"All right guys that's enough, let her eat!" Rogue laughed. Katelyn looked at her gratefully and shoved a forkful of green beans in her mouth, noticing with a side glance that Logan was watching her with a humorous expression. It made her nervous and she ate self-consciously the rest of the meal. After dinner a few of the students went to the living room to watch some new horror movie.

"Hey Katelyn wanna come?" Kurt asked.

"No thanks; I think I'm headed to bed early tonight."

"Come on, please?"

"Yeah come on," Kitty chimed in.

Katelyn looked back and forth between their naïve, smiling faces feeling cornered. Suddenly Rogue stepped in.

"Giver a break! She's probably exhausted."

The pair apologized and went into the common room leaving Katelyn standing with Rogue.

"Thanks again," she said a little awkwardly.

Rogue smiled and gave a dismissive toss of her head. "They're pretty obnoxious but just like Logan they're alright once you get used to 'em." She gave a short, musical laugh. "But only then. I understand all this takes some gettin' used to. It took me awhile." Then she smiled oddly. "Every now and then I feel like I'm still not used to it."

Katelyn shifted uncomfortably. "You goin' to watch the movie?"

"Yeah, but I'm bringin' this," she laughed, holding up a book. Katelyn laughed with her and they said goodnight.

Once Katelyn got in her room she changed into her sleep pants and a tank top, brushed her teeth, then went straight to the check box under her bed. Sitting on the floor she set the box beside her and opened it. Slowly, almost reverently she lifted the bundle out and into her lap. The bundle's wrapping was a small square of a blue quilt her grandmother had made for her mother when she was a baby. It had been Katelyn's baby blanket too. After the accident it had been damaged badly and Katelyn had salvaged the only good piece, trimming and hemming it herself. Now it was no bigger than a dinner napkin as it lay on her lap. She could still smell the smoke every time she unwrapped it…With a sigh she picked up one of the two objects she kept wrapped inside it. It was a string of pearls that had belonged to her mother. She used to put them on when she was little and primp in front of her mother's vanity even though she was always scolded for it later. She also used to love clasping them around her mother's neck for her. That was a long time ago, before things got bad. That thought made her put down the pearls, exhaling heavily as she picked up last object in her tiny hoard. It was a golden wedding band, a man's ring, and the only other relic from her past left with her. Katelyn clenched her fingers around it for a moment, letting it dig into her palm then dropped it back into the cloth. She stroked the pearls one last time with a hesitant finger, then wrapped it all up and put it back in its place. Grateful that the day was over, she crawled into bed with a flop then snuggled into the blanket. It didn't take long at all for Katelyn to fall asleep and almost as soon as she did the dream began.

Somewhere in her head, she knew it was a dream. She'd certainly dreamt it before, but still everything seemed so life-like that she couldn't escape the horror of it. She could see that face, cruel and terrible, worse than any Hollywood poltergeist as it loomed in front of her. The shadows were compressing in around her. She was blinded by them, suffocated. No, that was the smoke. Why was there smoke? Oh yeah, the fire, her fire. The flames were roaring all around her, burning, sending off powerful waves of heat, but she felt safe. She couldn't be burned. Then the sound, that dreaded sound. A blood-curdling scream, an explosion and then…nothing.

Katelyn screamed and thrashed, trying to pull herself from the emptiness but to no avail. She screamed and screamed until suddenly she was burning. Fire was threatening to consume her. The heat was sweltering and she felt her body weakening at a terrifying rate. Vaguely, she could hear someone calling her name but she couldn't answer. She was drifting in a raging sea of fire and smoke. Even her eyelids felt heavy. No, closed. I'm dreaming, it's just a dream. Her eyes snapped opened and she saw that she really was surrounded by fire and there was no way out. Everything between her and the door was ablaze. She almost felt like lying down again and closing her eyes but a warning in her head told her that it was the smoke inhalation and that she needed to stay conscious.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Logan, having kicked it open, charged in wielding a fire extinguisher which he applied liberally to everything that flickered. Katelyn chuckled slightly, being so disoriented the scene seemed comical. When everything, including Katelyn, was covered in foam Logan stopped spraying. He looked at the unwitting arsonist who was sitting slouched on her knees at the foot of her bed.

"Are you all right?"

"I tink so…dizzy…maybe" and with that she passed smooth out, landing with her head hanging off the edge at an uncomfortable angle.

"Damn kid," he muttered quietly to no one in particular as he went to scoop her up so that he could carry her to the infirmary.


Katelyn woke up with a brilliant white light blinding her. Her eyes refused to focus on anything but the light, making her aching head throb. I'm in the hospital… The thought nearly sent her into a full blown panic attack until a gentle voice called her name.

The Professor. With a moan she rubbed her eyes then looked about, taking in her surroundings. It did look like a hospital room with the sterile white walls, floor, and ceiling. She seemed to be lying on an examination table of some kind too. As she struggled to sit up a strong hand pushed carefully on her back, steadying her. She looked to see who it was and was surprised to see Logan watching her intently.

"How ya feelin' kid?"

"Better I think. Where am I? What time is it? What happened?"

"You're still in the mansion, in the infirmary, and it's just past eight," Xavier answered. "There was a fire. It didn't do too much damage, mostly cosmetic. Almost everything caught but thanks to Logan nothing was aflame for long. Your things, at least, are fine and already moved into a new room. As for what caused all of this, I'm afraid you'll have to tell me."

"Eight a.m.?" she asked, still slow to process.

Logan laughed and replied, "Yeah, you missed school by five minutes. If I didn't know better I'd say you planned it."

Katelyn groaned and sank back down onto the paper covered pillow.

"It's all right. You can start tomorrow. You should use this day to rest. Obviously the move has been a little stressful."

"Come on kid. Let's get some food in your stomach," Logan said abruptly, sighing as if he were going off to work.

Unfortunately, in Katelyn's opinion, breakfast turned out to be more than just a meal. She found herself eating muffins and a bowl of cereal on the patio with Logan and the Professor who were trying to initiate an extremely difficult conversation.

"Katelyn, what caused the fire last night?"

"Dunno," she mumbled through a mouthful of muffin.

"Katelyn..."

"Look I don't know! I didn't mean to do it. Why can't you just believe me?" Katelyn felt cornered. They were both just staring at her, expectant. There was no judgment in their eyes, but they didn't know. They only asked because they didn't know. They weren't even mad about the room but that still wasn't enough to loosen her tongue. She didn't trust them. She didn't want to trust them. She clenched her jaw stubbornly and looked down quickly, ashamed that tears were forming in her eyes. She hadn't cried in ages. Katelyn was starting to feel already that coming here had been a huge mistake.

"I didn't say you did it on purpose," Xavier assured her, "but you have unconsciously caused this before, haven't you? I need to know what sets this off, besides fighting of course. You weren't fighting in your bedroom were you?"

Xavier's weak attempt at humor wasn't budging her resolve, well not very much. Katelyn fixed her gaze on Logan. She definitely wasn't uttering so much as another squeak in front of him. He looked at her like he knew, as if he were hearing her thoughts. But it's the professor who's psychic. Even though no one was reading her mind, the tenor of her thoughts was clear to both of them. Xavier shot Logan an unreadable look and the other man stood up nonchalantly and lit a cigar. When Logan was out of earshot the professor tried again.

"Katelyn, you're not in trouble, and no one's going to judge you. Just try to talk me through it."

"I had a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yup."

The professor sighed. Looks like he'd have to pry the information out of her, or break his personal ethics code. Forced mind readings were not a pleasant experience for either party, so like always he continued the hard way.

"What kind of dream was it?" Silence. "Well?"

"It was a nightmare," her mumbled reply was barely audible.

"About what?"

"It was just a nightmare."

"Is it like the other nightmares you've had?" The look she shot him should have killed. "Your foster parents, all of them actually, told me that you had regular nightmares. They also said you refused to talk about them and you grew, hostile, when asked about them."

"Why've you been talking to those people?" she asked. Her voice was almost a snarl, but Xavier didn't even flinch.

"I've been watching you for a long time, Katelyn. I've been keeping track of you."

That startled her so much that she asked the first thing that came to mind, though she knew she wouldn't like the answer. "How much do you know about me Professor?"

He studied her for a moment, as if deciding how much to tell her. She asked her question as if issuing a challenge, but there was fear in her eyes. The easy answer then. "Well for starters, I could list off everything in your records; academic transcript, your case worker's files; your criminal records. Your test scores are in the ninety-ninth percentile yet your grades are poor at best. You've been suspended four times, expelled once, and I don't think anyone knows how many times you've been in detention. You were reported as a runaway a grand total of nine times in the last two years. You've been charged with theft, assault, destruction of property, public intoxication, and of course arson. Also, due to some happy circumstance you've only been convicted of one misdemeanor," he smiled wryly at the last part.

Knowing she didn't want to explore it further, Katelyn ignored the fact that he obviously knew all this before he asked her to live with them. "That's not what I meant. Of course you know that stuff.

"Then what did you mean Katelyn?" His words were soft. He was afraid he was about to give her the other answer. The hard answer.

Katelyn took a breath, bolstering herself with her posture. "Well, before that. Do you know anything about me before I got put in foster care?"

He inhaled a quick diver's breath and took the plunge. "I know about the accident, Katelyn. I think you and I are the only ones who know what really happened that night."

Her heart contracted painfully and her throat was too constricted to speak. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Why'd you have to open your stupid mouth?! Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Of course he'd made the connection. She'd been stupid to think he wouldn't. While she struggled to keep her composure Xavier was watching and he saw it all on her face then. The root of all the problems, fear. Fear of her rage and her guilt. Fear of the hurt all these things had brought her, could still bring her. Fear was healthy; one just had to take control of it. With a heavy heart he prepared himself to say what he knew he had to, aware that it could lead him to cause her the very hurt she feared.

"Cerebro picked up the activity that night. The intensity of the gift I detected… Katelyn you have a very precious gift. It's also very dangerous. You have to learn control over it. It is the only way I can help you. I can help you Katelyn, but you have to help me." There, the obstinate attitude was back. This girl was worse than a mule. Almost as bad as a Wolverine. Knowing he would regret it, Xavier said the one thing he knew would get through. "Katelyn if you don't get control of this soon you could get yourself killed, or even someone around you."

Katelyn inhaled with an audible gasp as if she'd been sucker punched. In an instant she was on her feet with her back to him. "I'm sorry professor. I'll, I need a minute." Her voice was choked with the tears she was fighting down. He watched her stride off into the garden, his heart heavy. Silently he called Logan to him.

"Logan I've upset her. Would you mind…?" Seeing the look Logan gave him he added, "She really doesn't want to see me right now. Or rather, she doesn't want me to see her."

Logan sighed dramatically. "Sure, sure Charles. I'm just the guy to comfort a little girl. Know all about makeup and ponies and whatever else it is that they like. Boys. Yeah, love talking about boys."

Xavier smiled slightly. "If it helps, she's not upset over boys or makeup." Logan grunted an assent and headed off, but the professor stopped him. "Logan, be gentle with her. You have no idea how much she's hurting."

Logan found her easily; she hadn't gotten very far down the walk. He heard her actually, before he saw her, and as he turned the corner he received quite the surprise. She was taking swings at a tree trunk. 'No wonder Charles sent me after her; this kid is nuts.' He moved to stop her before she broke her damn hands, but just as he did she let out a scream of rage.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggg!" She slammed her fist into the trunk of the tree with more force than he would have thought she was capable of. Just as fist impacted with tree, flames erupted from her hand. Katelyn stopped, panting for breath as she stared in fascination at the flame now cradled in her palm. Her fist clenched and the fire vanished. She cradled her injured hand for a moment, and then a thought seemed to occur to her. Inhaling deeply she let the physical pain distort her features.

She's concentrating on the pain, Logan realized, but he couldn't fathom why. Just when he thought nothing would happen, fire sprang to life in her hands again. "You figure it out?" he called.

Although she was clearly startled, Katelyn composed herself quickly and stared haughtily back at him. "Looks like it."

"Pain huh?" his tone implied doubt.

"It's only ever happened when I was mad, or scared, or…hurt."

"Means you've got strong self-preservation instincts," he replied, almost sounding disinterested. "You're gonna have to figure out a better way than breaking your own damn hand though. Come here."

She clenched out the fire and suddenly all the fight was gone from her. Meekly, tiredly, she did as he said. He reached for the injured hand and recoiled the instant he touched it.

"Shit that's hot! Is that normal?' Katelyn shrugged, but seemed unconcerned, so Logan continued the examination. He felt each bone carefully and twice before releasing her. "Other than cuts and bruises you might have a couple tiny fractures, but it should be ok. Just try not to punch anything for a couple days. Ok?"

Katelyn nodded quickly, just grateful he wasn't making too big of a fuss out of it. Fractured knuckles weren't new anyway. "Thanks Logan," she mumbled.

"Sure kid." Logan sent her off to the mansion to take care of her hand and made his own way back to the Professor. "Where the hell did you find that one Charles?" Logan grumbled as he sank into a chair across from the other man.

"In Alabama," came the all too innocent reply.

"Charles."

"I've been watching her for a couple of years now actually," he admitted.

Logan was thoughtful. "Well that's not like you. Normally you'd swoop right in an' snatch 'em up, 'specially one like her."

Xavier smiled sadly. "I wish I could have but…Katelyn's case was…high profile. No one would let me near her. She was a ward of the state, so I had to do it the right way. If I'd gotten caught poking around without permission they might decide to investigate the Institute and that would just cause quite the mess to clean up," he smiled sadly and looked at Logan who nodded to show he understood. "I could only watch until her last foster mother called. I knew someone would eventually, but I also knew the longer we waited, the harder it would be with her later."

"No kiddin'," Logan half-laughed, half-grunted. "That one is a wild card. I don't know what you were thinking Charles, but once again I think you might've gone a little too soft for your own good."

"You're wrong Logan," he replied, eyes focused off into the garden, a half-smile on his face. "'I'll admit she's a bit, unstable, right now but that's only to be expected. It's only her second day after all. You just wait and you'll see." The Professor's voice was full of hope and not a single doubt, but Logan just shook his head.


A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I really had fun introducing my favorite characters, Logan especially. I love his gurff-with-a-heart-of-gold style. I will try not to over do his tender side. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!