Author's notes – Howdy! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who wrote to me and/or reviewed. I can't say it enough, but I really love ya, guys. You really keep me going. Makes all the time I've spent on Kimble worthwhile. :)

(Three)

If Kimble had overheard the conversation that had just taken place between Aiden and Julien he gave no sign of it though he had only been a few feet away. His head was down as he gently swirled his small furry feet in the water, a warm, sleepy smile on his face. He turned slightly as he sensed Julien nearby. "Oh, hey, Jules. Nice day, innit? Fer a soak, I means."

Julien sat next to him, nearly falling as his legs wanted to give way. Aiden had frightened him so badly. He started to take off his shoes and socks, willing his hands to stop shaking. He watched Kimble as he did this, his back almost burning with the heat of Aiden's gaze upon them both. How could Kimble not have heard what had been said? How could Kimble be so happy to see him?

It was easy to see the answer. Kimble's face turned towards him, his eyes glassy and small. Julien had seen this look before, when his mother was high. It sort of scared him, the idea that Kimble must be using drugs like she did. What Julien couldn't know of course was that while Kimble was indeed quite stoned, it was from a good reason. It had only been a short time since Asher had left Kimble, the pilot had needed the Morrowhiem treatments to level him out after that morning's upset and Asher had seen to it that he had gotten them.

Kimble giggled at him. "You gots skinny little feets, just like Remy does."

Julien smiled at that, relaxing from Kimble's jovial tone and happy demeanor. "Everybody says I look just like him."

"Ya shurely do," Kimble replied, happy when Julien scootched in next to him and dipped his feet into the water. Much to Julien's continued bewilderment, Kimble wasn't upset to see him or was even questioning why he was there. Instead, the Siskan just winked at him and teased playfully, "There's fishes in here somewheres, goldy ones."

Julien laughed softly. Kimble was just a like a child now, just as Aiden and Remy had said. It was comforting in a way and made him feel all the more sorry for his hurtful words. It seemed so wrong now what he had done. Hurting Kimble had been like stealing candy from a baby or pushing a retarded person down just because you could. Julien may have had a skewed view of life from all that he had been through, but even he could now see he had crossed a line he never should have. He felt horrible. He didn't know what else to say so he simply said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't really mean it."

Kimble squinted at him in confusion and laughed playfully. "You yelled at me? Why, I don't remembers nuthin'."

Julien wasn't sure if Kimble was joking or not, but he wanted to give some reassurance, so he leaned in against Kimble, just begging to be held. Of course the pilot immediately complied, throwing an arm around him companionly, and affectionately kissed the top of his head. In his drunken state, Kimble released powerful vibrations of love and affection, ones that Julien could readily feel. It helped to reinforce what Gambit had told him, of how Kimble had such a big heart and an honest love for him. The show of power was a little scary even as it felt good, it confirmed the fact that Kimble never was and never would be fully human. Julien recoiled inwardly a bit at it, Frost's warnings about mutation being a sign of sin were too ingrained to fully ignore. Still he fought it enough that Kimble didn't sense his unease and the pilot kept him close, so warm and lovely.

Julien sat quietly, nonetheless, loving this simple embrace. He was still reeling from coming from a place where it seemed like he could trust nobody, to another where some had embraced him without judgement so lovingly just as Kimble was right now. Kimble was so high that his empathic control was weak. He was vibrating love and concern for him, something Julien didn't think Kimble was faking. Again it reminded him of all that he had lost - his mother, his sisters - and he didn't want to lose this either.

Julien sat quiet another minute and then said, "Remy said you and Aiden are married."

Kimble stiffened a little defensively and withdrew from the embrace, making it look like he was just settling back easy. Still he answered the question honestly, "Yeah. Me and hims. He saved me. M' Angel wuz gone and he made it all better."

The wording was strange but Julien knew what he had meant. Gambit had told him that Kimble once had been the father to a child, a child that had died. The loss had been difficult and perhaps part of the reason why Kimble had reached out to him so easily – Kimble adored children of all ages and took great pleasure in caring for other people. Remy had told him this so that he would understand that Kimble's affections were real and not a ploy to lure him in for any sort of sexual wrongdoing. Kimble would never harm him.

"What was it like, getting married?" Julien asked next. It wasn't so much that Julien wanted to know this, but he thought that by asking, it might release some of Kimble's tension and show that he was trying to understand. Plus it helped to change the subject away to more happier matters.

Kimble smiled then, straightening up and brightening instantly. "Oh, it wuz so beautiful. We wuz out here in the Solarium with alla the trees and flowers. It wuz real late at night and alla the stars wuz reflectin' in the big mirrors, like. The fireflies wuz winkin' all around us like, dancin' like they wuz there just fer us. There wuz me an' m' Dreamer, Rems and Molly. There wuzn't no preacher like at m' brother's weddin' on account of me an' Aiden bein'... well..." Kimble stammered here, faltering as a flash of pain crossed his face. He shivered off a vibration of mingled sadness and misery at not being so readily accepted as he was, but then seemed to pick up where he left off, moving around his pain to brighter things. "..but Asher married us just fine. He's like a preacher nohow on account of his love fer God an' all. It wuz real nice. Aiden takes real good care of me, he keeps me safe. He looks after me and I knows that he loves me. He'll loves me ferever," Kimble finished, his eyes misting a little with happiness.

Julien nodded, feeling Kimble's vibrations of love and adoration waft off of him like a heady perfume. The thoughts that Kimble expressed were ones that he thought of when he thought of marriage, of the way he had once dreamed of being with Kiden. He didn't know if he could ever be that way with her or with anyone ever again, but he still liked the idea of it. He was lonely enough now that he had no desire to stay this way. He was just afraid that if he was struggling this much now, that it would always be that way. Who would want to be with him now?

Julien, a bit gloomy now and wary that Aiden was still guarding Kimble, glanced behind him to see if the Dreamer was still there as he had been before. He could see now that Remy had joined the blonde Siskan at his bench and the pair were chatting and laughing about something just between them. Julien guessed that Aiden was pleased enough with his apology that murder was no longer necessary, at least it seemed so judging by the way he was being so friendly with Remy.

Julien did note that with Remy, Aiden was more relaxed than he was with other people. Look now, the blonde Siskan even had his hand over one of Remy's, a sign of gentle affection. Aiden was smiling up at him the way he had looked at Julien before the ugly incident with Kimble on the Dragon 2. There was genuine respect there and they looked so happy. The best of friends.

The thought of how the pair so warmly regarded each other prompted Julien to ask Kimble, "What is Remy like? I don't really know anything about him."

"Oh, he's the bestest," came Kimble's prompt and positive reply. "He saved m' life not just once but twice. The first time I wuz all stabbed an' bleedin' like and he used his energies ta fix me. He done it without thinkin' if he might git hurts by it or not. He just seen it needed ta be done and he done it, his heart is so big, ya know?"

Julien startled a bit at that. Yes, Gambit had explained to him that Kimble and the other Siskans fed on energy for sustenance. It was hard at first for Julien to imagine gentle, playful Kimble being in that kind of drastic situation, but then the X-men had come into Twilight with full force and shut the camp down. Maybe they did that sort of thing all the time. Julien wasn't that surprised to hear Kimble speak of Remy as some kind of hero, it was obvious that he was important to the Siskans the same way he was always speaking so highly of them.

Kimble was oblivious to Julien's distraction. He had continued to ramble on, saying, "The second time wuz my own faults. I runned away once cause I was havin' a real bad time with the rules here and all. I didn't thinks no one liked me cuz I ain't reals like you guys are. I wuz wrong that nobody cared – he worked real hard to finds me. He come after me and he brung me home, got me outta the trouble I wuz in without me even havin' ta asks. It wasn't easy an' I kinda put him through hell, but he stayed by me. It's cause once he's got a powerful love fer someone, he don't ever lets it go. He's got that fer you, I kin tell, and not just cause he's yer blood. You won't never have no better friend."

All that brief story did was fill Julien's head with more questions. It did make him think more of Kimble, that here was someone who had been through some of the same experiences he himself had. It made him feel less alone to be here among the marginalized. Of course, what Kimble said next, caught his attention.

"He's an orphan, you know? Someone just up and left him on the steps when he wuz just a coupla days old. He always wanted kids, now he has a whole great big bunch of them. If he'd known you wuz in trouble out there, he woulda come sooner fer you, no matter what it took. He'd do anything fer yous just like he would fer his twins, just like he come after me when I tooked off. Don'tcha even begins ta doubts it. Yer family now and we're gonna takes real good care of yous. You'll see." With that, Kimble hugged him again, once more bathing Julien in his pleasant, blissful empathic glow.

Julien nodded thoughtfully, warm and fuzzy now with Kimble so close and his friend once more. He had to admit that even though this day had been for the most part exhausting, he felt more at peace than he had when he had first arrived here from Twilight. That big deep anger that had been living inside of him for so long now was dissipating. He was learning that people he had assumed were the bad guys really weren't and that maybe some of the good guys weren't so good after all. It made him feel all the more sorry for all the trouble he had caused since he had arrived here and to the big blue doctor especially. He would have to apologize to him too, of that he had no doubt. The sooner the better.

(break)

Logan leaned against the wall across from the holding cell door, looking in on Star and Hank. Hank was still sleeping from the tranquilizers they had shot him with and Logan was mulling over the ominous fact that while Star was inside and reunited once more with her beloved Master, she had situated herself in the corner away from him and not at his side where she should be.

As he had promised, Asher had come along directly after he was done with Kimble. He had treated Star and left just a few minutes earlier. Asher was not shy about his powers and he usually treated his kin freely and out in the open. This time, because of her terrible ordeal, Asher had chosen to treat Star in private. When Asher worked his magic, he often "saw" what it was that was troubling his patients in a near telepathic fashion. It normally didn't faze him all that much, but when he had left Star, Asher's face was solemn and drawn. He whispered softly to Logan that he needed to go pray and that he would return shortly, hopefully before Hank woke up. Asher felt he might have to treat Star again, but she needed to rest before that. Asher had looked so stricken that Logan let him go without protest even though he would have preferred that the centaur stay until they were sure there would be no fuss when Beast saw that Star had been returned to him.

Logan had chosen to watch over the pair until Asher returned. He wasn't happy with what he was seeing. Star was dreamy and high from what Asher had done, her eyes barely open, but it wasn't intoxication that had her keeping her distance. Even treated, she was still devastated by what had been done to her. Logan certainly hoped she didn't think Hank would refuse her, he couldn't even imagine such a thing. Hopefully once the doctor revived, Star would see that all was well and they could put this unpleasantness behind them.

Logan heard Karen come into the Lab and ask for him. He couldn't quite keep his poker face on as she came down the hallway towards him. He had missed her while he had kept away, not realizing just how much until now. "Funny finding you here," Karen teased gently when she saw him. She had noticed the slight smile he had tried to hide.

"I wanted to see how Star was doing."

Karen just grinned at him and challenged playfully without bitterness, "Why would you care? She's just a machine."

He turned to look at her, biting down a flash of anger, not sure at first that she had been teasing. When he saw she wasn't really messing with him, he relaxed. She had been told what had happened and that it had been Logan who had found Star. He could see in her face that she had understood that seeing Star like that had affected him, no matter what his earlier statements had been. The look there on her face was enough that he was willing to say, "Yeah, something happened when I found her like that. Okay, so she's not fake. None of them are. Happy now?"

It was the closest Karen was going to get to an apology and she took it. She came to him and hugged him, giving him a kiss. He accepted her advances and they folded against each other like the long time lovers they were. She was very happy to see him, her scent and her low laugh told him so, her love for him had never dimmed in spite of this latest round of bickering. All was forgiven.

There were things she would never be able to hide from him. He knew she was still attracted to him even after all this time and had remained deeply in love with him. Though they had their share of fights over the years, they were still just as passionate in play as they were at war. She would never leave him, of this he had no doubt. She broke off from the kiss and playfully teased him some more, "It's okay to admit that you're wrong every once in a while, you know. It's a very human thing to do."

He just grinned at her, her hands still in his. "Just 'cause I said they ain't fake don't mean they don't need to be watched."

"I never said they didn't. It does mean they need people."

He knew what she meant. "Fine. I'll go see Skye right now if you'll stay here and keep watch on these two."

"It's a deal. See you at supper tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Let me know if Star needs anything."

"I will."

He left, taking his time letting her hands go as he passed. Her smell was all over him now in his clothes, warm and wonderful. She had worn a perfume he liked and he doubted it had been an accident.

He made his way to the Maximum Security jail and found Skye's cell locked out, just as he had left it a couple of days before. He removed the locks and was a bit taken aback by what he now saw. The arrogant, willful Siskan had shifted out of his adult skin into that of a ten year old boy, no doubt to look more vulnerable in the hopes of garnering more sympathy. He was hunched in the far corner, a blanket half slipped off of one bare shoulder. He looked pale and shaken, his cheeks wet with spent tears, a ruse that Logan wasn't about to fall for quickly. Even now, he barely trusted this freak as far as he could be thrown.

Logan rapped his knuckles on the wall. "You gonna be a good boy now?"

Skyle rolled his head bonelessly towards the sound of Logan's voice. His eyes were half open and not really focused. "Who... who's there...?"

Logan waited a moment, really looking at the kid. He was thinking hard, doing an unexpected calculation – just when was the last time that Skye had been fed? With the cell blocks on, Neal might not have been able to transfer energy to the prisoner, something he hadn't considered. The quick scan he had made of the guest list on the watch desk had indeed shown that no one had come to see Skye after the locks had been set. The Siskan was low on power, starving and weak. It didn't mean he was any less dangerous, of course.

Logan scanned his badge and dared to enter the cell. Just as he expected, there was a chirp from the control panel nearby. The man at the watch desk called through the wire, "Everything okay, Mr. Logan?"

It had been weeks since anyone had actually unlocked the door to this cell, Skye wasn't allowed many visitors. He was considered much too dangerous. Logan could reach the comm button from where he stood and did so. "Yeah, just keep watch," he replied, knowing that the inner cameras would now be working.

"Right, sir."

Logan stepped forward. Evidently Skye recognized his voice – he scootched away in real fear, falling over and losing the blanket in his weakened state. He was so feeble and slow, it would take nothing for Logan to grab him, but that wasn't Wolverine's purpose in coming so close. He simply wanted a better look before deciding just how run down the Siskan was. He brushed his fingers along the bare skin of the child's shoulder as he scrambled by, still not fooled when Skye shrieked in fear at the touch and skittered away under the bed. The brief contact had been enough. The Siskan's skin had been ice cold to his fingers. A few more hours and he would have been unconscious without enough energy to remain awake.

Logan stood and returned to the panel. He clicked the comm switch again. "Send fer Neal but tell him to wait fer me at the desk."

"Right."

Logan just looked at the creature under the bed, still wary but to some degree mildly sympathetic to its helplessness. Logan was familiar with this, he had punished Aiden once this way, leaving him in holding until he had actually blacked out from lack of energy. It had been informative. A Siskan being so low on power like this was the same as if it had been drugged, Skye would be sluggish and sloppy, unable to defend himself. Logan came back and knelt down, taking a peek under the bed. Skye hissed and swung out with one hand, his fingers like claws, in a ridiculous attempt to rake the man's face. He was so slow a blind man could have avoided it.

"Tsk, tsk," Logan clicked. "Now that wasn't so nice."

"I done... nuthin's wrong," Skye gasped, his voice not that much different in this much smaller skin, only exhausted. He could hardly catch his breath. "You gots... no right to holds... me like this!"

"You murdered Jennah," came Logan's quick reply. He was referring to one of Skye's earlier victims, a girl who had lived here at the Complex. Skye had killed her and fed her to Kyle and Kristalay. She had been a good person and Logan would never forgive him for it.

Skye hadn't forgotten it either. "M-meat ain't murder... ain't that what you humans say? I hads... to feeds.. m' lions!"

Logan just snorted in disdain. "You coulda just killed a fuckin' cow."

Tired as he was, Skye still managed a low, careful cackle. "Lions eats... what lions eats... It was... what they... wanted."

Logan wasn't mollified in the least by that answer. It merely encouraged him to complain, "You stole people and turned them into your lions. You aren't God. You don't have the right to enslave anyone."

"But thems... the ones.. what mades me? They had the rights... to enslaves me?"

Logan sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the wall so he faced the bed. He could just see Skye under there enough to make sure he didn't try anything. Annoyed as he was, Wolverine's heart wasn't completely closed to Skye on this particular issue. Logan despised slavery in all its various forms. Now that he had come to more of an understanding with Star, he felt a greater compassion towards Skye – but not much. Star had retained her innocence. Skye hadn't.

Still, Logan gave his answer. "No, no they didn't. And you don't have to live like that anymore. New place, new rules. The only one who determines when you get out is you, by cooperating. We have to be sure you can be trusted and not hurt anyone. That will take time."

Skye began to sob weakly. He had been shown so little real compassion in his long and troubled life, it was too hard for him to take comfort in anything Logan had to say. "I am... what they mades... me. Either kills me.. or lets me go. I cain't ...I cain't...stays like this... no more. I hates.. alla yous... so much fer doing... this ta me's!"

Before Logan could give his reply to that he heard a noise coming from down the hall. He had given orders that Neal wasn't to be let down, but it wasn't Neal who was arriving. Hard sharp hooves clicked on cold tiles as Asher brazenly came right on down the short hallway at a fast clip and then right into Skye's open cell as though he owned it. Logan didn't like it, but the fact was Asher had permission from on high to see Skye whenever he pleased. It seemed the centaur had chosen now to come, something Logan doubted was a coincidence.

Logan scrambled to his feet in a second, instantly furious at the invasion but halted when instead of cowering under his authority, Asher simply looked at him hard in a way that gave him pause. Maybe it was something left over from what Star had just been through, or some kind of strength from a fresh round of prayer. Whatever it was, Logan was so unused to such an unwavering stance from this Siskan that he was taken aback enough not to start shoving. He did growl sharply, "This ain't a good time fer you to be here, Ash!"

"It's the perfect time actually," came Asher's just as confident reply. "That's m' brother and you ain't been takin' care of him so good, I kin sees."

"How dare you -" Logan challenged but was momentarily silenced when Asher had the brass to actually turn away from him as though his authority meant nothing.

Asher held out his hand to the poor child sobbing under the bed. "You 'bout ready ta lets me do fer you now?"

Skye's sobbing ceased and he dared to peek out from under the bed. In all the time Skye had been incarcerated here, he hadn't once let Asher near him, preferring instead to pass his time by giving Logan as much trouble as he could from this tiny room. Asher's primary function amongst his kin was the same as his Title – Regulator. He took it upon himself to keep them in line – to comfort them, to hold them, to criticize them if necessary, but most of all, to treat them chemically when they needed it, something Skye had long denied him.

Asher never forced his treatments on anyone, they had to be willing to participate or he refused. He kept asking and Skye kept refusing so it had never happened. No amount of threatening or cajoling on Logan's part had even budged Asher's stance on that, something that infuriated Logan to no end. Logan was hoping that in this case Asher might make an exception for the greater good of the community, but Asher had been unyielding. Yet, now, inexplicably out of the blue, he was here. Logan was perplexed by it, but not enough now to interfere. He wanted to see what Skye was going to do.

"Come on out, Mishnar," Asher gently coaxed, using the first name Quishnalay, the maker, had given to Skye, one whose original personality had been shattered like so much glass and then repaired. "It's time."

Skye groaned long and hard in internal agony, but he was moving, slowly coming out and towards his second visitor.

Asher knelt down as Skye came to him and then took him into his arms, laying the child into his lap. He rocked him there, soothing him and holding him so tight. Asher whispered soft Siskan to his brother, laughing softly as if they had been long lost to each other.

Logan sat back down and watched this, chewing on his anger. Yeah, he was finally getting what he had wanted – Skye treated – but he just couldn't find it in himself to even entertain the idea that this would change anything as far as how Skye needed to be kept. It was going to take a hell of a lot more than tears to make him let Skye out of this cell.

Skye began to bawl, issuing his complaints as all of Asher's patients did at this point of the treatment process. "The Master... ain't never loved me! Nobody ever has! They broked me ... and hurted me... They tooks and tooks from me!"

Asher nodded, making his familiar circles with one hand over Skye's tiny chest. "I knows, kitten. You just lets it all on out now..."

Wolverine was quiet, having seen all this before. Months ago he had watched as Asher had finally had his way with Simone and quieted the feral rage within that black skinned Siskan. Logan had even seen Asher project images of his patients into the minds of those around them, helping them to better understand the pain of the one being treated. He wasn't doing that now and Logan was happy for that, he had no wish to see into Skye's tortured mind. Logan had never heard of Asher failing to make progress with anyone he had treated and so had no doubt that Asher would succeed here with Skye. The only question would be, would it hold? Kimble was for the most part stable but even he had to be treated multiple times by Asher for it to be lasting.

Red Morrowhiem glitter drifted from Asher's hand as he made his circles, bright red sparkles that lay glistening on Skye's bare skin. Once Skye had run out of complaints, Asher worked his best trick, igniting the glitter so it flashed brightly. Skye cried out sharply and jerked in Asher's tender embrace, arching his back as he climaxed hard, a side effect of the chemical reset Asher was conducting here.

Asher bent and swallowed Skye's outcry in a deep and loving kiss, something that made Logan involuntarily shudder. He had to remind himself that these creatures were machines dressed in fake skins and not two male children engaged in a sexual ritual far too old for the tender years that both of their skins represented. It still gave him the willies.

"I sees ya, kitten, I really do," Asher was saying. "You thinks you ain't never been loved but that ain't hardly true. I gots a love fer you so big there ain't no words big enough ta says it. You ain't never been alone and you ain't all alone now. I'm gonner looks after yous now, just like ya needs me to."

Skye finally shuddered his last and then lay still, his eyes closed and his body limp as though he was now deeply asleep. Asher rose stiffly and then lay his precious charge down on the bed, covering him up with the blanket. He turned to Logan and said, "He's real low on power. Neal kin still feeds him some while he sleeps. He won't be no trouble."

"All right," Logan agreed, rising himself. He could see that Asher had expended energy for this latest session - he looked drawn and tired, his eyes just slightly bruised. "You okay?"

Asher nodded and then looked deeply into Logan's eyes, his gaze so profoundly sad and in pain. His voice was scratchy and tired as he said, "I knows you don't think Kimble ain't worth no good, but you just don't knows how lucky he is. Skye's trouble is all so plain and clear to one who kin sees. The wrong dominant personality wuz chosen fer his repair. The Games Master didn't have no time nor care abouts who's ta leaves in charge, not like Kimble who had so many people what loved him, or even Aiden what had Trishnar and me to looks out fer him. The two of thems at least have a chance at a normal life even though they'll have trouble every now and agains.

"There ain't no takin' back what wuz done ta Skye. Once the dominant's been chosen and set in place, it's all over. You see, sometimes the strongest personality of thems what been shattered kin be the easiest ta picks ta be in charge since they's usually right up top and easy ta sees. But the strongest don't mean they's the best choice. Kim ain't the strongest of his four selves, Zander is, but he wouldn't have been no good to be in charge alla the time. T'was the same with Aiden. I knew he wasn't the strongest, but he was the best of his group, too. Lucky fer both of thems, they's had good folks looking out fer them – good Masters - to makes that better choice. Skye didn't have no such luck and now it's too late. Well, 'cept for one last chance, maybes. He ain't never gonna be right 'til someone out there takes him fer their own and gives him the love he really needs to be whole in this world."

"I ain't lettin' him outta here," Wolverine promised. "He's much too dangerous."

Asher nodded. "I knows that. But then ya gots to be lettin' some of the folks in then instead. It's the only way he's ever gonna git chosen. Don't be leavin' him all alone or he'll never git no better no matter how many times I treats him." Asher's voice was so terribly sad at the thought of Skye's pain and the time it was going to take to get him right.

"Only a freak would ever choose him," Logan couldn't help but sneer though he said it quietly. He didn't share Asher's sympathy for Skye at all.

"Stranger things have happened," Asher said in disagreement. "Simone got chose and looks how well that's turned out. I know you don't approves of anaone being a Master or a Mistress of anaone, even us, but you cain't deny that it helps a Siskan turn around. All it takes is someone with enough fortitude to draws out the good parts of us. Skye's got a Lover buried in there, buried in there deep. The right person could maybe draw him or her out enough to settle Skye down. Make him good enough and safe enough to function in the real world. Simone is proof of that."

"It hasn't been that long," Logan argued, thinking that Simone and Rogue had been together only a matter of months. It was hard to judge the longevity of their relationship just yet. It could last five more days, weeks or maybe even five more decades as far as anyone knew. It was so hard to predict what any Siskan might do, something Logan knew all too well.

(break)

The subject of Logan and Asher's discussion was dimensions away but no less happy for it. Simone was in the tent he shared with his Mistress, their day long over even though neither one seemed ready for sleep. They lay face to face in their sleeping bags, comfortable in spite of the slight damp. The air here was sweet and so much better than the filtered air of the Complex, the chirping of Twilight crickets making pleasant music for them. They were naked and chest to breast, his eyes filled only with her.

Simone was making lazy circles with his hand against the bare skin of her back, loving the way it felt to be so near to her. He was Siskan and so there was nothing better than this. He loved to be loved, and would die without her.

Rogue was enjoying the company herself and said, "It's so nice here. Quiet. Ah wish we could just stay here forever."

"We kin comes back anytime ya wants," Simone promised, planting soft kisses on her bare shoulder. He loved this the best, the cuddling. She was so warm and alive, her skin a pleasure to touch. "Leroy won't minds."

"How would we keep in touch with the folks back home? We could get stranded here."

He laughed softly at the idea. "Would that be so bad? I could be happy here, just you an' me an' Leroy."

It was true, he had never known such peace as he had now. He had a precious Mistress now to love and care for him plus a good friend he could visit any time he liked. Simone wasn't like his more gregarious kin, he didn't need people around him to be happy. He liked it best when it was just him and his precious Mistress.

Other people just got in the way. Like right now he wanted nothing else but to be fully intimate with his Mistress here – when didn't he really, for that matter? – but he didn't dare, not with the other X-men so close by in their own tents. He saw them as unwelcome overseers, pesky babysitters, and he didn't want to make a fuss and frighten them. With his self esteem at an all time high right now, there was little to frustrate him enough to bring the Anger out, his more dangerous and violent self. It was only during full intercourse that he might become rabid, the Anger popping out from flashbacks of having been beaten by his former Master, Ebon, so badly, though that was happening less and less. Still, he wouldn't chance an outbreak here where it would be noticed. He wouldn't be spoken badly of. He wouldn't risk embarrassing his Mistress.

Aiden had spoken to Simone some about how the humans around them couldn't be fully trusted. Simone did not doubt his Siskan brother, the man's shine gave away just how sincere the advice had been. Not to mention that just the short time he had spent here in the company of Fury's men had only reinforced the idea.

These men were soldiers and not a jovial lot. They were at a somber business out here – the investigation of a mass murderer and fiend – and some of them had lost comrades here in the raid. There wasn't much joking around and these guys were all business. Of course there was the constant reminder of what Frost himself had done while he was here. If these humans could prey on each other so gleefully, they could never be trusted and Simone didn't dare turn his back to them without a watchful eye.

While Simone might have believed Aiden's words in regards to most humans, he did not think they were true of his Mistress. It was too easy for him to overlook her shortcomings and dismiss them, they were soon forgotten the moment she touched him with the tenderest brush of her hands. When she was so close to him like this, skin to skin, there was nothing like the sound of her heartbeat and the brilliance of her shine bathing him in its lovely glow. She would never harm him, this he felt with all his heart.

The only other exception to Simone's dislike of other people was Leroy who never seemed to judge him. Leroy had always been a comfort even when it had been from a distance in the beginning. Being physically here in Leroy's company had been an even greater pleasure, Simone's only regret was that he had waited so long to finally cross through that door. So many adventures he must have missed out on.

Twilight itself was a lovely place to behold and Simone had fallen in love with it almost instantly. It was Leroy's home and Simone could stay here in bliss without much trouble. Well, that wasn't exactly true, he would still need someone to charge him, there simply wasn't enough sunlight here to keep him powered up for long. But maybe that could be worked out eventually. His Mistress was so clever, he had no doubt that if this was what they really wanted, that she could make it work.

Leroy had given Simone and his Mistress the grand tour. There were hidden treasures in the trees – small bushes with the best berries they had ever tasted and strange purple colored bees that made the sweetest honey. There was a large lake nearby – the one where Kimble had gently lifted Tilda from the water – that had sparkling fish in it that clever Leroy had no trouble catching. He had made them a fine supper that all the X-men here had enjoyed.

As they had moved about this glorious place, Leroy was careful to point out where there were hidden traps and mines that had yet to be removed. Rogue was sure to mark these even more clearly so there would be no accidents and for a clean up crew that would hopefully remove them in the future.

It hadn't all been fun and games here however, the small band of X-men that had been left behind here in Twilight had been busy this day. It wasn't hard work, just time consuming. Jean and Storm had flown about under Cyclops' careful direction, looking for more children hiding in the woods, but so far none had been found. They were hoping that was because there were none left behind and not because they were too afraid to come out. Only time would tell.

Simone and Rogue were luckier in that regard. They had most of the day to themselves, just setting up camp, though they had been asked several times to reopen the door between this world and home on Fury's behalf.

This Simone was not so happy to do though he never complained. He had remained cloaked the whole time was here – Leroy was given a cloak to wear just so he could see Simone easily – but being so close to these military men made him uneasy. He was learning to read the shines, Asher had been so helpful in this regard, and he could see how these men disliked the X-men no matter how polite they were to their faces. They didn't trust the X-men any more than the X-men trusted them. The X-men had powers and they did not, their shines were rimmed with a constant fear, their eyes always wary. Simone was glad he was cloaked, these ugly thoughts were not directed at him per se, only in passing, as him being lumped in with the mutants as a group.

There was more of course. Rogue was constantly at Simone's side so he had no real fear for this safety, but he had no doubt these men would snag him for their own use if they could. They didn't care about his feelings, they did not love him, he would always be nothing more than a tool to them. This he could see in their cold cold hearts so filled with fear of what they did not fully understand.

More than once Fury or his men would wander into the X-men's camp by Leroy's house and the X-men knew it wasn't by accident. These guys were doing their best to try and catch Simone unawares in an attempt to make him expose himself so they could discover just who he was. It wasn't funny and Cyclops let Fury know it wasn't appreciated. It made no difference however, these were military men and not ones to give up easily. Simone was too big a prize if he could be stolen away.

Rogue was not the only one looking out for Simone's best interests. If something needed to be said, Cyclops was sure to call Simone by his codename – Traveler – and not his real name so Fury wouldn't have a clue who he really was. It was effective, the generic title wouldn't even give these men a clue as to Simone's gender. He could have been anybody as far as these guys could figure out.

The doors Simone created had been needed. Fury's men had been working hard and fast, collecting a lot of evidence and bringing equipment back and forth. Fury's men had come through and with their big overhead lamps and big bulky equipment, were now busy digging up the graveyard just outside of the small town and taking pictures. Cameras flashed almost constantly. Most of the deceased buried there would probably not be identified, but Fury wanted the body count to further his case against Frost.

The men had also done their work in the town itself, tearing the cabins apart, looking for more evidence. They had taken a lot of material including the metal dumpsters with all the SupraMax wrappings. It was going to be a diverse assortment of charges that Frost was up against. He would be lucky to escape the death penalty. Either way, he would never be set free again.

Fury was taking no chances. The X-men were not asked to assist in any of the forensic work or evidence collection lest a jury think that they had tampered with what they had gathered in any way. It was just as well to the X-men, they were happy enough to keep to themselves as much as they could in this team effort and search for more survivors.

Simone was perplexed even by what little he saw and was constantly asking Rogue questions about what the equipment was and what it was for. His Mistress did her best to explain as much as she could. Simone's vocabulary of English was somewhat limited and while it was growing fast, some of these things were too complex for him to immediately grasp. The forensic items in particular disturbed him greatly and she glossed over the more gruesome aspects of that. Like Seth, Simone didn't want to hear about killings and beatings, he was much too sensitive. It made all of Aiden's cautionary warnings about bad human intentions all the more reasonable.

Simone had lived in a small world for a very long time, going many years without leaving a six by six holding cell. That isolation had protected him he could now see and he didn't like how dangerous this large world really was. He loved the trees and the lake and the berries and his Mistress of course, but even he was thinking it would be better if his world didn't get much larger than it was growing. It simply wasn't safe out here.

As much progress as Fury and his men were making, it was growing clearer that Fury was probably going to ask for more time to complete all this work and that his request was going to be granted with Cyclops' permission. Scott was already discussing a rotating roster to keep Simone not only covered here and protected but fed as well. Simone wasn't the least bit concerned by this, he knew his Mistress was going to be allowed to stay with him the whole time and he was happy to remain here with her and Leroy. Perhaps even Asher would come for a visit as well, Simone had no doubt that the centaur would love it here in the trees.

At any rate, all this human activity didn't trouble Simone that much. He knew Fury's men would finish their work eventually and would then be gone, leaving Leroy in peace. After that Simone could be here with those he cared about in the solitude and the peace he had always enjoyed. Perhaps after that he and Mistress could stay here all the time with an occasional X-man guest now and again to keep him charged and healthy. Maybe the X-men would be happy to have a small crew living here full time, just as watch dogs so to speak, making sure nothing from here made it back to their home world. That might not be so bad.

Back in their tent. Rogue was agreeing with Simone about how nice it would be to stay here, especially after all those pesky SHIELD guys finally finished their work and left. "Maybe Henry could work something out," she breathed into his ear, closing her eyes and finally settling down to sleep.

Simone just smiled there at that, pleased to hear it. For him, life was just getting better and better.