AN: Sorry for the wait. I'm just too busy for this writing stuff a lot of the time.


"Are they going to hate me?" Sadi asked tentatively as Logan's old beat-up truck pulled into the driveway of the Xavier Institute.

"Nope," he responded vaguely. During the trip he'd spoken relatively few words in comparison to the conversations they'd had late into the night in her kitchen back in New Orleans.

"The Professor's gone, isn't he?" she asked sadly. "And Jean too."

Wolverine didn't flinch at the mention of either absentee. "They'd be happy to see you back if they were still here, kid."

"That mean Mr. Summers is in charge of the school?"

"Yup."

"Crap, am I gonna get a lecture?"

"Yup."

"Unavoidable?"

Logan glanced over at her, one brow slightly quirked. "What do you think?" he asked rhetorically.

Sadi nodded. "Yeah, okay, it's inevitable." For a whole two seconds she sat quietly chewing her nails before sitting up and looking at him again. "Are you still any good at pissing him off? Cause I'll just bet you could run a great diversion for me..."

"No."

"But I'm sure if I slipped past him a few times he'd give up..."

"No. Jesus, Sadi, have you really been gone that long? You know ol' Cyke is a bulldog. He bites down, and he never lets go. Especially now. When Jean was around he could on the rarest of occasions refrain from being a complete dick, but now he's just relentless."

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to repress the chills going through her at the familiar sight of the mansion. "Think they'll lay off at least until after I've seen the grave?"

The Wolverine gripped the wheel tight, making the leather creak. He looked away. "I'll make sure of it, kid."


"She's just, wow," Alex Summers commented, gazing out the window at the girl standing with her back to the building in the X-Men's little graveyard.

Bobby Drake shoved in next to him, letting his blue-frosted sun glasses slide down his nose for a better look. He whistled low just before their fearless leader dropped the shades right in front of him, effectively giving Sadi her privacy from their prying eyes.

"She's what, Summers?" Logan growled, having come to rest half-sitting on the front of the Professor's old desk, tense arms crossed over his broad chest.

Alex shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargos when he turned from the window. "She's really grown up, so much I hardly recognize her. Don't get me wrong--she's still just a kid. Was she always so serious?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"Pfft, dude, of course she was always serious," Bobby scoffed, pushing his shades back up the bridge of his nose. "Where were you her whole life? Huh? Did you have one conversation with her the entire sixteen years she lived here?"

The tall blonde shrugged again, apparently refusing to get angry at Iceman's prompting. After so many years, they were all used to the petty squabbles that bounced back and forth between the two heroes. "Yeah, I talked to her, one time after you kicked the shit out of me in the danger room, Drake. Asked me what happened to my face, and I beat around the bush; she told me I'd make a good lawyer, or something like that."

"How's she been, Logan?" Scott asked, as usual sounding extraordinarily concerned.

Wolverine tilted his head, scuffing the wooden office floor with his boot. "Ah, you know, stealing valuable objects, playing vigilante, becoming jaded as hell... Kid's not bad in a fight, for a human girl..."

"How long do ya think she'll stay?" Iceman asked. "I mean, I seriously never thought she'd actually come home..."

"This was never her home," Logan interrupted, dark eyes looking up from under his cowboy hat. "Gumbo considered it his, and she stayed as long as he was here, but deep down she hated this place for the same reasons we hate living with homo-sapiens. She never fit in."

"I'm still confused as to why you even brought her here. I thought you were done with the X-Men. The next thing I know you drive in with Sadi Lebeau in tow. What gave?" Scott asked, his critical ruby stare resting solidly on the shorter man.

At that moment Storm and Beast entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Logan, you've returned!" Ororo Monroe exclaimed, a pleasant smile gracing her features, a glint in her eye. "I believe I know someone who will be most pleased to hear the news."

Logan nodded in agreement, shifting almost uncomfortably on the desk. "Yeah, I'll just bet she will..." he replied, almost under his breath.

"So, you were about to tell us how exactly you convinced Sadi to come for this little visit?" Alex prompted, pausing in expectation.

"What's that particular piece of gossip worth to you in monetary terms?" Sadi asked softly, her silhouette situated against one side of the doorjamb in order to take the weight off her bad leg.

Wolverine pulled out a toothpick and stuck it between his back teeth. "Heh, told ya she got sneaky," he said matter-of-factly.

Half the room simply gaped at the girl as though seeing a ghost.

"Sadi," Ororo whispered, "I didn't realize you were coming."

"Neither did the rest of us," Cyclops reminded, still staring pointedly at Logan.

"I got hurt, Wolverine saved me," the girl began in explanation. "I came back to see my father's grave. I didn't stay for the funeral, and I thought it was time for me to pay my respects. I got to thinking while I was out there that Pop probably would've wanted me to at least finish high school, so if I could, I'd like to stay here until I finish my GED at a community college. I don't think it would take more than a few months. I think if I went back to New Orleans I'd probably lose my motivation, you know?"

"Of course you're welcome, my dear," Beast said for them all. "Lord knows we've been worried about you."

Sadi's head dropped to her chest in shame. "Yeah, about that. I'm sorry I just ran off. I promise I won't do that again without telling anyone. Not that it did me any good the first time, Logan found me anyway..."

"Not hard to do with a kid who's got only one living relative," Wolverine assured her, though he knew the sentiment wouldn't heal the girl's pride any. She was a Lebeau, her heart would always remain on her sleeve.

A whoosh of air brushed against his skin as Bobby barreled past them all, rushing over to grab Sadi up in a massive bear-hug. "I'm finally a real teacher, and my favorite student came back! I haven't had anyone around to help me prank people in forever!"

Sadi giggled as Iceman spun her around, hugging the handsome young man back with all her might. Ironic that Bobby had been the one to realize someone needed to break the ice between Sadi and the adults in the room, Logan mused. He smirked a little, glad that the boy was finally putting those cheery people-skills of his to non-irksome use.

Soon the two children were off, Sadi riding on Bobby's back, having quickly accepted his offer to escort her to her new room.

Logan scratched lightly at his forehead under his cowboy hat, deciding it was probably time he went down to collect the bags sitting in the back of his truck. There were only two. He and the kid both lived light.

"I'm going to need to talk to her," Scott reminded gently while the still-stunned Beast, Storm, and Havok exited out the door.

"I know," Wolverine said, absently popping his claws on one hand and cleaning his nails on the other. "But in case ya didn't notice, bub, the girl's nose was red and her eyes were bloodshot. She does a good job hidin' it, but seein' where her father's buried hit somethin' deep. Until she's ready, you're gonna keep whatever speech ya've got cooked up to yerself."

Cyclops nodded before the two men parted company in silence.