Chapter 8

a/n: Thanks MidLife for the nice review. You know right now I'm not quite sure where the story is going. I had a lot of it plotted out but it seems to be getting away from me. To RhiannonUK and Quinnell: Fury always has been one of my favorites in the Marvel verse. I always thought Logan and him worked well together. We'll just have to see. Thanks also to Ryla and Jedi Padfoot for reviewing. As always any help would be appreciated. Please let me know what you think.

Kitty Pryde was running out of excuses. All day long she had found reasons to avoid meeting with Logan. There had never really been a set time she reasoned, Logan had just asked that each of them sit down for a talk with him before they started training. So he couldn't blame her if she was late. Or missing. Or finding a way to skip meeting him altogether. Then she wouldn't have to tell him her little secret. That she was scared shitless. Of him. Of learning how to fight. Of screwing up during a mission and getting someone killed. Especially herself. So she was hiding out in the one place where she thought he would not go looking. Here in the school library, well away from any windows she felt safe from his gaze. In point of fact there was one thing wrong with her plan. Actually several things. Since there was no food in the library (there was a drinking fountain and a bathroom) she would have to come out eventually. And although she was unaware of it, Logan didn't need to see her to know where she was. But the biggest problem with her plan was that she felt guilty. She had told the Professor she wanted to join the team, and at the time it seemed a really good idea. Her best friends were so sure of themselves, so why wasn't she that confident. Feeling more than a little fear, she nevertheless decided she had to talk to him. After asking Ms. Munroe she wandered down to the gym where Logan was working out with free weights. He was standing with his back to her curling a fifty pound dumbbell. Jubilee was right the man was blessed with a killer bod. Killer...that was the problem. Kitty nervousness increased as she recalled Bobby's description of Logan in action that night the soldiers came for them. Suddenly he stopped...and turned to face her.

Logan knew the half-pint was avoiding him. Usually in a situation like this he favored the direct approach. Didn't seem like the right way to deal with her. So he left word he would be in the weight room and headed down to wait her out. Sure enough she finally left her hideout in the library and came looking for him. Now he had to figure out how to talk to her without scaring her. Finishing his rep he turned and saw her standing by the door like a deer ready to bolt. He walked over to the weight stand to exchange the dumbbell for a heavier one.

"Come on in kid. We can talk here as well as any were else." He gestured for her to sit on the weight bench while he began another series of reps. "So...Kitty...you wanna explain ta me why your so keen to join Chuck's merry little band of do gooders?"

She had expected him to be mad, to curse her out for avoiding him. Instead of being angry he appeared relaxed...well as relaxed as a person could be while pumping iron. She took a deep breath and answered him.

"Honestly Mr. Logan I'm not sure myself. I don't think I really understood what the X-Men did when I told the professor I would join. I knew I wanted to help other mutant kids and I thought being part of the team would be the best way to do that. Now I'm not so sure."

Logan continued his rep switching from left to right and back while he listened. Damn it he thought this is just the kind of talk Chuck should have had with the girl months ago. Logan wondered how worried Xavier was about why these kids wanted to join up. After all if there's a war coming you need soldiers, lots of them.

"Kid do me a favor and just make it Logan. So yer havin doubts, that's not too surprisin. You would have to be pretty stupid not to. Sure yer gonna be helpin mutant kids, but yer also gonna be fightin some pretty scary people. I'll just take a wild guess and say that's what's botherin ya."

Mr...sorry... Logan your going to laugh at me but I've never been in a fight my whole life. When those ...when the school was invaded all I could think about was phasing myself out of there as fast as possible. I was scared to death."

"Ya know Pryde I'd be more worried if ya told me ya wasn't afraid. People who ain't got sense enough to be scared generally ain't worth a shit when it comes to a fight. I think yer just gettin ahead of yerself. Don't worry about joinin the team right now. Ya got plenty of time to decide."

"But...I don't understand. Isn't this like training us to be X-Men. Isn't that what the Professor wants you to do."

"Kid I'm not gonna lie to ya. Chuck is expectin all of ya to be ready to join when yer done with me.." He finished his reps and replaced the weight on it's stand. "But that's still your decision ta make. I ain't saying ya have ta be an X-Man. Frankly someone with yer abilities can help mutants in a lot of other ways. The one thing I'm saying ya gotta do is learn how ta fight"

Alright thought Kitty this is just too weird. "You mean you still want me to do all this training even though I'm not sure I want to join the team.. It just seems like a total waste of time."

"I'll tell ya straight Kitty ya got no choice. Too many people out there know what this place is and why yer here. Even if ya decide to leave and do somethin else yer gonna be in danger. The normals want us ta go away, and there's plenty of them that will attack ya for bein a mutant or will stand aside while someone else does. Told ya what Xavier wants but joinin up is for you to decide. But learning how to protect yourself and those ya care for is something ya have ta do."

Kitty sat lost in thought. While the notion of strange people wanting to hurt her and her friends was scary what he said made a lot of sense. She didn't have to decide everything right away. She couldn't believe how relieved she felt. The last few days she had done little but worry about what she would do. For now she would train with her friends and find out if wearing the leather uniform was what she really wanted.

"Thanks Logan. I feel a lot better about things now. I promise I'll try my hardest but I don't know how good a fighter I'm going to make. I wish my gift was something that gave me some kind of advantage like yours...or Pete's."

Logan tried not to smirk. Every time she said the Ruskie's name she practically purred. Shaking his head he gave her a serious look. "Believe me kid ya wouldn't want my healing. With yer thing ya don't have to worry about gettin hurt...if ya know what yer doin. My job is to make sure that ya do. Trust me we'll find plenty of ways for ya to use yer mutation. Now get goin. I think Chuck is gonna give the big intro for some new people he hired." At her questioning look he just shook his head. "I'm takin a pass half-pint. Need ta get out of here for a few hours. Now don't be late tomorrow." Smiling at her indignant expression Logan sauntered out leaving Kitty a little stunned. She couldn't believe it. She had made the Wolverine smile.

It was nearly midnight when Logan arrived back at the school. Tonight had been just what he needed to take a little edge off. Knocked back a couple (ok a couple of dozen) beers and won about two hundred dollars playing pool. Didn't manage to get in a fight but then again he didn't go to the right bar for that. After passing through the automatic gate he cut the engine and let the bike roll to a stop before walking it into the garage. Letting himself in he slipped out of his jacket and proceeded to do his usual circuit of the school before bed. After checking the outside perimeter he walked around the ground level checking doors and windows. Approaching the rec room he paused hearing the voices of Rogue and her boyfriend. It didn't sound like a friendly conversation.

"...all I'm saying is that we should give her a chance. It's just talking Rogue, she's not going to do anything else. Besides the Professor must trust her or she wouldn't be here."

"Bobby you make it sound like we were asked what we thought about this. Ah don't need to talk to somebody about my problems and I don't appreciate bein told Ah have to. Besides Ah don't see how anything that woman has to say ta me could be any help. She has no idea what it's like bein in our shoes "

"So that's why your mad. I thought this place was all about learning to live with non-mutants, helping us fit in with the rest of the world. How are we going to do that if all our teachers, hell everyone we have contact with is just like us?"

"Ya better wake up Bobby. Ah learned what they thought of me the day mah own daddy called me a mutie bitch and told me ta get out. Ya think someone like me is evah gonna be able to fit in then ya are nuts. Ah thought that after what happened with yer own family that you would understand. If our own parents wouldn't accept us why would the rest of the world?"

"I can't believe you Rogue. What gives you the right to throw that in my face. I know my parents love me...their just having a little trouble understanding it all right now. Just because your family couldn't cope doesn't mean that all humans react to us the same way."

"So they called ya ta tell ya that. Ah didn't think so. Here you are tellin me how well your family is copin and ya haven't heard jack from em. Ya know Bobby Ah thought families were supposed ta do more than cope. Ah have this crazy idea that their supposed ta love ya...even if ya are a mutie bitch."

"Damn it Rogue...will you stop saying that. What do you want from me? I'm not giving up on them Rogue and you know what, I'm not giving up on trying to live with the rest of the human race either. Professor Xavier brought this woman in to try and help us and you want nothing to do with her because she isn't a mutant. Well I'm sorry but that's the kind of attitude that we're supposed to be fighting against."

"Ya'll can believe what evah ya want to. Ah'm sick of well meanin people tryin ta help me ta see the light. Ah'm here because this is mah family now, the only one Ah'm evah gonna have not because a some dream about us being able ta get along with people that hate us. If Ah need someone ta talk to about what it's like ta be a mutant in this fucked up world Ah sure ain't gonna choose some normal who has no idea what Ah been through. If you want ta talk her ta go ahead, you'll make the Professor very happy. Sorry Bobby, but Ah'm done dreamin."

Logan slipped back in to the shadows as Rogue walked out of the rec room back toward the stairs leading to her room. Part of him wanted to go after her and try and calm her down offer her some comfort. The problem with that was he couldn't think of a thing to say. When it came down to it, there wasn't a single thing she had said that he would disagree with. Not for the first time he wondered how much of her anger came from the fact that she had absorbed him twice. What the hell was Chuck thinking hiring a human to work here after what had happened. It was obvious to Logan that Xavier still had his head in the clouds when it came to getting along with the normals. Well he couldn't get rid of her whoever she was but he was damn sure not gonna have anything to do with what ever little plan Xavier had cooked up.

God if there's anything that Jubilee hated more than math it was mornings. It was bad enough that she was expected to be in class by eight. It was worse that her new training would demand five extra hours of her time each day. Now Logan had a new bug up his butt about taking them for a run. In her opinion the very idea of running for any reason other than a threat to life and limb was suspect. But it was the time he had chosen that convinced her he was either deranged or a sadist. Probably both. Instead of scheduling it during their afternoon session he wanted to do it before morning classes. Before breakfast. Before any sane human being would even think of being awake. Six in the morning. Shit. She was beginning to wonder if the quality time that she would be able to spend drooling over Logan's incredible ass would be compensation enough for all the pain she was going to have to endure. Groaning she buried her head in the pillow and promised herself five more minutes. Suddenly a pair of gloved hands grabbed her blankets (hey she was a California girl) and yanked.

"Come on Jubi time ta get yer butt dressed. Ya got five more minutes before Logan comes ta get ya."

Wrapping her arms around herself as she staggered out of bed the Asian girl's first thought was that she was going blind. Oh yea...it was just dark... as in no sun darkness. Another good reason to stay in bed.

"You really think he would Roguey because right now I could use someone to warm me up. Of course if he did come here I don't think my ass would ever get dressed."

Rogue just shook her head and pulled on a sweatshirt before heading out the door. Jubilee opened the window and suddenly realized that her plan to give Logan an eyeful in return (tit for tat she had told a smirking Rogue last night) would have to be altered as the temperature outside was such that wearing what she had in mind would result in hypothermia. While having Wolvie carry her to the infirmary would be all kinds of good she couldn't escape the nagging thought that he would probably just toss her into the bushes and bury her body later. Time for plan B.

Logan walked down the hallway feeling so pleased with himself that he had to suppress an urge to whistle. Nothing like a little pain and suffering in the morning especially when it was for a good cause. And being experienced by someone else. The kids had thought that they were going to jog around the track, but after timing them on a mile run he had lead them out into the woods along a path that he had marked out. After all when you were chasing or being chased by bad guys they usually didn't let you run around a nice asphalt oval. So he had taken care to find the muddiest, most broken terrain available for their little cross country trek and then lead them off at faster pace then they really wanted to go. Thirty minutes and four miles later he stood by the finish line as his students staggered out the woods more then a little mud splashed on their sweats. Drake was first to finish which was no surprise to Logan as he carried himself like a natural athlete. What did surprise him was Rogue and her roommate chugging along close behind and the way they raced each other the last two hundred yards with Lee barely finishing ahead. The fact that they pushed each other was something he could use. Bringing up the rear was Pete and a much worse for wear Kitty who had a slight limp and looked like she had been mud wrestling. Telling them to get to breakfast he turned and to their amazement sped off into the woods to run the course again Allowing himself a small smile as he remembered the look on their faces he was caught by surprise when Xavier's voice echoed in his head.

"Logan would you please stop by my office so I can introduce you to our new staff...the ones you were supposed to meet yesterday evening."

Logan growled low in his throat. God he hated when Xavier did that. "Damn it Chuck I got enough voices inside my head without you addin ta the commotion. Can't this wait until later?"

"Please Logan it will not take long and it is important. One of them would like to contribute her skills to your training program and I thought now would be a good time to discuss this."

That thought put Logan on his guard and with a shake of his head he turned and stalked back to Xavier's office still dropping with sweat from his run. To his own senses he was more than a little ripe and if he had to live with the smell then they could to.

Entering Xavier's office he took in the two new faces. Actually one since he had talked to Hank McCoy the other day at Jean's memorial. Not that Hank wouldn't have stood out in any event since he topped six foot six and was covered from head to toe in blue fur. With a start he realized that the woman had also been there. While he didn't remember meeting her he recognized the scent. Standing next to McCoy she looked like a kid. Maybe an inch taller than Jubilee with long brown hair. She carried herself like an athlete and he suspected that her thin frame was well muscled under the baggy blouse and long skirt. Returning the intense look he gave her she did something that threw him completely off balance. She smiled. At him. What the hell? He was used to a lot of other expressions, frowns, lust, and more usually open naked fear. Her eyes took in his sweat stained track suit and bare feet and the smile became a goofy grin. Xavier took in his appearance with a raised eyebrow.

"My apologies Logan, I had forgotten your early morning run. I trust the students enjoyed themselves."

Despite the irritation he was feeling Logan couldn't help but smirk. "Well Chuck I'm sure they had a good time cursing me out. As for the run...well lets just say they all made it back in one piece."

Xavier of course never batted an eye. "Quite so. I just wanted to introduce you to our new staff. I believe you already know Henry. He will be serving as our doctor as well as teaching math and advanced science. This is Janet Phillips. Ms. Phillips has extensive expertise helping people who have been through traumatic experiences. She will be serving as student counselor and will be teaching a new course that will be offered to the highschool age girls."

McCoy stuck out a paw the size of a canned ham and engulfed Logans hand. Trying not to flinch at the sudden invasion of his space Logan shook hands with the fellow feral. People around here liked to shake hands too damn much as far as he was concerned. Sure enough as soon as he let go of McCoy the woman stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Logan. I see I'm not the only one who likes to run barefoot. Charles was telling Hank and I that your going to be helping out with the self-defense class."

Logan did another double take. Nobody ever says "nice to meet you" to him. "Just make it Logan darlin. That's what Chuck likes ta call it. The last thing the kids need ta learn is self-defense. What they need ta know is how ta fight and survive."

Hank McCoy shook his massive head. He had been stunned to hear what had happen at the school barely a week ago and had gladly agreed to help Xavier for how ever long he was needed. When Xavier told him of his plans to train his senior students so they could join the team upon graduation he had been shocked. Charles had always been so optimistic when it came to the future. Hank couldn't help but feel that much of that optimism had died with Jean. Meeting the man Charles had selected to help in the students training only confirmed what had been apparent since he had returned two days ago. Xavier wasn't just training future X-Men, he was building up his forces with an eye to the future. A future that looked very bleak indeed. "Professor Xavier has asked me to prepare physiological exercise programs for your students . Would I be right to assume that they had the average habits of the typical American teenager."

At Logan's confused expression Janet smirked. "English Hank. Logan he wants to know if the kids have to start from scratch with regards to weight training"

Still glaring at Hank Logan answered. "Pete wouldn't start from scratch, the boy worked on a farm in Russia and they treated him like a plow horse. Beside both him and Drake need a program that makes em more flexible, so we might wanna teach em some yoga. The girls need muscle and we'll have to be careful with the half-pint...er a Kitty cause she's gonna need more work then Rogue or Jubilee."

"Very well then, I will prepare a schedule of training for them that I will post in the weight room. As for the yoga I am afraid that such skills are outside my area of expertise. Perhaps we might approach Ororo for her assistance, as I remember that she has been a practitioner of this discipline for a number of years."

Logan eyed the blue mutant suspiciously. Must be some kind of weird secondary mutation. "I'll make sure they know about it when I see em after lunch. Are we done here Chuck, cause I need ta grab somethin ta eat."

Before Xavier could answer Phillips screwed up her courage. Now or never she thought. "Logan I need a favor. I was hoping you would let me join your class until Scott came back. I couldn't help but notice that your students are not experienced enough for you to use them to demonstrate technique. So I thought you might be able to use me instead."

By the look Logan gave her she wondered if she had grown another head. "Let me get this straight darlin. You want to be my crash test dummy as a ...favor? What the hell did Chuck tell ya the kids were gonna learn, ball room dancin?"

"Please Logan just...let me explain. First of all I really can help you. I teach martial arts classes for people with even less experience than your students so this isn't anything new for me. I know that It's going to be different because their mutants but they need to learn the basics first and I'm really good at that."

"I'm still not gettin why me lettin you do this would be a favor?"

"Well that's a little complicated. Charles asked me to come here because of my experience in helping people who have suffered abuse. The number of young people who come here having been traumatized as well as the severity of the abuse has increased to the point where he no longer felt it was something that he could deal with alone. Once he explained his problem I told him that I would be glad to help him in anyway and he offered me the position as school counselor. After I arrived and we talked about some of the problems the kids have as well as the recent attack I realized there was something that we hadn't thought through."

Logan looked at her then Xavier. "Ya there's a big problem with yer little plan. Yer human. How the hell did you think you could do this? These kids have been fucked six ways ta Sunday by humans and you think ya can just stroll in here and they'll trust ya?"

After a few seconds of awkward silence Xavier responded. "Please Logan calm yourself. If you want to blame someone for this Janet is not the person. She did bring this up when we first talked on the phone about the position but I assured her that it was a problem that could be overcome. I believed that if the students saw her as someone I trusted that they would overlook the fact that she is not one of us. After introducing Henry and Janet at dinner last night we approached several of the senior students so that we could make appointments to have them come in and talk. Rogue and Jubilee refused to say anything and left despite my request that they meet with us at least once. While the others eventually agreed to a meeting only Robert did so with any enthusiasm."

"Well what a fucking surprise. Ya know Chuck if ya had bothered ta ask me I could a told ya what Rogue would do. Don't tell me ya forgot who she has inside that noggin of hers. Besides that this is somethin ya needed ta talk with em about before ya even made a decision. Here ya are tellin em that their adult enough ta start layin their lives on the line and then ya turn around and act like their kids and you're the principle."

By this point Phillips was totally confused. "Charles what is he talking about? Is Rogue suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder?"

"In a manner of speaking yes. Rogue's mutant gift is one of the most damaging that I have ever encountered. Whenever she comes into direct contact with another person's skin she directly absorbs their life force along with the individuals personality and memory. When she comes into contact with another mutant she also borrows their gifts whatever those are. Shortly after her arrival here she was seized by Eric so that he could use her to power a machine that he believed would mutate humans. Within a very short space of time she was forced to absorb both Eric so that through her he could power this device and another mutant who allowed her to borrow his healing ability in order to save her life. After she recovered Rogue allowed me to help her remove Eric from her mind but refused to do more then segregate certain memories of the other person. While her core personality has always remained dominate there is no doubt that she has been profoundly effected by the other consciousness that lives within her."

As Janet listened to Xavier describe Rogue's gift and it's devastating effects she couldn't help but reflect on the horrible irony of the term he used for a person's mutation. Suddenly she realized the identity of the other resident in Rogue's head. She started at Logan eyes wide with shock. "You're the one that she absorbed, the one who saved her life"

"Got it in one darlin. I was damn glad I could do it at the time, but I sure as hell can't understand why she wants ta keep me up there."

Xavier wondered how someone so perceptive about all that went on around him could be so willfully stupid when it came to his own self worth. "Think about Logan. Rogue's parents threw her out of their home right after she manifested. She was rejected by the very people she thought would love her no matter what. You proved that she still had value as a person in the most tangible way possible. Any time she has doubts about herself she has the you inside her head to remind her that at least one person in this world would do anything to keep her safe."

"Wait a minute..if she has your personality to draw on why doesn't she trust us? After all you're here at the school working for..."

"I don't fucking work for Xavier and I'm sure as hell not staying here any longer than I have ta. It's not that I don't trust Chuck now but back then...well let's just say when Rogue absorbed me I wasn't much into trustin anyone. There's only one reason I went on that mission. I made her a promise and I wasn't gonna let that fucking Magneto break it for me. If she's drawin off me then ya got your work cut out for ya." Looking at Phillips he wore the expression of a man trying hard not to scratch an inch. "So will someone tell me what the hell all this has got ta do with you helping me teach em how ta fight?"

"What I'm hoping is that if you let me work with them as part of their training I can get to know them and build some trust. If the seniors come to trust me then the younger students will be easier to approach. I know that there are kids here that I can help, but I can't do anything until I have their trust. I'm not asking you to put in a good word for me and I certainly won't try and use Charles as leverage. Your right about that, they need to make the choice on their own. Just give me a chance to work with them for a few weeks. Besides your working with teenagers. You really need all the help you can get."

Logan really didn't get how she thought she could help them. He knew first hand what kind of pain a lot of these kids suffered and he didn't believe it was something another person could help you with. Some things you just had to deal with the best way you could and move on. Then again he wasn't exactly the poster boy for dealing. And what about Marie. He was sure that it wasn't just his anger she was feeling and if anyone had a right to it she did. Was it something she could deal with on her own? He didn't think so and he'd be damned if he could think of how to help her. Shit. "Ok darlin we'll give it a try. Here's what we do. I talk with em before the session this afternoon. I'm pretty sure they'll give me some slack here but it's gotta be their choice. If I do things ya don't agree with ya talk ta me when were alone. Meet me in the Danger room an hour before we start. I wanna spar with ya and seen what ya got."

She rolled her eyes in mock offence. "You know I have a name Logan...I wish you would use it. I'll be there at one. I'd like to see what you got to.

Logan just turned and walked to the door. As he left Xavier's office she heard his voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm sure ya do darlin."