"What?" Scott exclaimed.

"He didn't do it on purpose," Emmaline explained quickly. "His family had kicked him out and he snuck into our house to get some food. He accidentally… sparked." She shook her head briskly. "Never mind. Obviously this sleep is messing with my inhibitions. I haven't told anyone about Jamie—except Drew. I'm fine now," she said crisply to hide her quavering voice.

Scott nodded and stood obediently. Logan did not. "He burned down your house and killed your family? Why are you with him?" he asked.

"He was alone… and I was suddenly alone too. It seemed right to team up," she said. "I came back and found the house almost down to ashes. Fire trucks had come too late to save anyone. Jamie was by the edge of the crowd, sobbing. No one else would help him." A tear raced down her cheek. "I found out what had happened. He was so distraught. I shielded us both and we stayed like that until a few days ago."

"Emmaline…" Scott said sympathetically.

Logan asked. "What about Drew?"

"Enough story-telling," Emmaline said firmly, moving her shield to exclude her guards. "It's going to take me long enough to fall back asleep as it is."

"Let's go, Logan," Scott said. Logan cast one look back down at Emmaline and stood up. "We'll be right outside," he promised.

"We'll wake you if you have another dream," Logan said, nodding solemnly to her.

Emmaline smiled, relieved. "Don't hesitate," she said.

"Never," he replied.

Once the two mutants left the room, Emmaline rolled onto her side and closed her eyes but every time she neared sleep the images of fire and her family's bodies flashed in her mind and she had to start again. Part of her dreaded risking the dreams again, but another part knew that she was going to have to deal with them if she wanted to stay at the school with Drew and Jamie.

At least an hour passed as Emmaline rolled from side to side, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in though she knew that was not her problem. She was frustrated, feeling weariness weigh heavily on her bones, but she could not fall asleep.

"You're a dick," Logan said from outside her room. His voice was gruff and quiet, muffled only slightly by the door.

"I'm not even doing anything," Scott argued. "What's your problem?"

"You just took a six month hiatus, but you're back one week and suddenly you're over her and on to the next one," Logan said.

"Are you talking about Emmaline?" Scott asked, bewilderment coloring his voice. Inside her room, Emmaline stifled a gasp. Scott… in love with her? She hadn't even considered the possibility. She suddenly wished she really was asleep so she wouldn't have to hear their conversation.

"She's clearly not ready for a relationship now. Hell, she hasn't even talked to man other than her brothers in the last six years. You think you can just sweep in and become her knight in shining armor," Logan said. "I thought Jean was the one for you."

"She was. Logan, I am not romantically interested in Emmaline," Scott said. Emmaline breathed a sigh of relief. She was relieved she wouldn't have to deal with any awkward rejection. She hadn't had to deal with potential suitors since she was in high school six years ago.

"You seem pretty interested in her," Logan said. "You need to back off. She'd just be rebound for you and she deserves more."

"She's a good person and I respect her. We're just friends. Where did that even come from?" Scott asked. Logan was silent. "Are you projecting on me?"

"What does that even mean?" Logan snapped.

"That's how you feel about her, so you assumed I do too. You've already thought every aspect of having a relationship with her out," Scott said. Emmaline waited with baited breath for the answer. Logan was still silent. "You think she's another Jean." Scott laughed. "You were ready to fight with me over the girl—and lose—again."

"Shut up, laser eyes," Logan grumbled. Did that mean he liked her? Confused, Emmaline really wished she hadn't heard the conversation.

"I'd warn you about not hurting her, but it sounds like you're playing the role of potential boyfriend and over-protective brother at the same time," Scott said.

"You really are a dick," Logan said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Do you want to sit with us?" Emmaline asked Jamie as they stood in line together to get their lunches. She had not offered before, hoping he would take the initiative himself, but she was getting impatient.

"No thanks," he said, setting an apple on his tray.

Emmaline faltered. "Are you sure? We sit with some older kids, but they'd be totally okay if you sat with us."

"I'm sure," James said. "I have other friends."

Emmaline plastered a smile on her face. "Of course. I should have thought. All right. I'll see you later?"

He nodded and walked away to the table of students his own age. "If he loves you, he'll come back to you," a voice said in her ear. She turned and saw Logan. He smirked. "I read that on a shirt somewhere."

Emmaline rolled his eyes. "He's allowed to have other friends," she said, though unsure who she was trying to convince.

Logan shrugged. "He's a teenager. You're lucky he hasn't started wearing those tight pants and cutting himself," he said.

"Oh God," Emmaline agreed. "He's still got time." She shook her head, trying to get the strange image from her head. "Do you always eat here? Where do you sit?"

"I normally go out to lunch or eat in the teacher's lounge, but I'm busy fixing your room," he said. "I'm taking a quick lunch before I go back up. I'll probably work a little longer before your lesson."

Emmaline shrugged.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Storm entered the room. "We're doing something different today," she said. "No robots today." She gestured for them to follow her down to the Training Room. Emmaline walked with Scott, talking casually.

"Do you know why we're in the other room today?" Rogue asked Scott, coming up beside them.

Scott paused and then nodded. "I think I'll let Storm tell you," he said, quickly changing the topic. "We finished your room," he told Emmaline.

"That was quick," Emmaline said. "Weren't you running behind yesterday?"

"We were, but we kicked in gear today." He lowered his voice. "I also added a high-tech fire alarm. If there's a fire, a panel will come out of the wall and give you everything you need to be a firefighter here."

Emmaline smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she said as they entered the Training Room.

The large room was different than Emmaline remembered it. The bare walls were still spotted with signs of abuse from various mutations but the previously clear floor was scattered with pots of trees and large rocks, resembling mountain terrain. Once everyone was gathered together around Storm at the front of the room, she crossed her arms and looked over them. Her dark eyes were solemn and she took a deep breath before speaking. "Magneto has been confronting mutants across the country," she said, getting directly to the point. "From what we can tell, he gives them an ultimatum: join him and his mutant resistance, or die. Only one mutant escaped, and he survived only long enough to call and warn us."

The youngest generation of X-Men exchanged worried glances. Emmaline looked around, confused. She did not know who this Magneto was, but the idea that he was killing mutants was frightening.

"We're not completely informed about the situation yet, so we're not going to make any rash decisions. Magneto is dangerous, as you well know. We're only telling you now so you won't be surprised if we need a team to move out in a hurry. If we can get a lock on where Magneto's striking next then we're going to do all we can to get the mutants out of his way," Storm continued.

"I know most of you have met Magneto before, but that doesn't mean you're able to take him on your own," Scott said, looking around the group, "so please don't do anything stupid."

"We're going to be in here at night from now on so we can practice fighting other people with powers." Storm was cut off by the door opening.

Logan walked in, late as usual. He looked at the worried faces around him and nodded. "I'm guessing you told them?"

Storm nodded. "As I was saying, we're going to be fighting each other. This room doesn't have the safety precautions the Danger Room does—you get hurt here, it's real. The goal of these practices is to incapacitate your opponents… not do permanent damage."

"Once we're out of here and in a real fight, do all the damage you want," Logan interjected.

Storm glared at him. "No, you don't. We're not the bad guys—we're not going around killing everyone who gets in our way. The government has able facilities to hold any mutant we can catch. Two teams. Scott, Piotr, Bobby, and Rogue and Kitty, Emmaline, Logan, and me. You're trying to capture the other team. Whoever is the last team standing wins. To prevent stalemates, we've got a thirty minute time limit. Of course, there are some rules to avoid actual injuries. You are to surrender once you're in a situation that would lead to injury or death in real life."

"This isn't fair," Rogue interrupted, hands on hips. Her Southern drawl was extremely obvious as she complained. "There is no 'situation leading to injury' for Logan or Emmaline. We can't beat them."

"Well, what will you do if you someone on Magneto's team can heal or shield?" Scott challenged.

"Rogue actually has a good point," Storm admitted. She turned to Logan and Emmaline. "Logan, if they hit you over the head, please stay down like you're actually hurt. Emmaline… you wouldn't be interested in lowering the shield, would you?"

Scott and Logan snorted. Emmaline glared at them, but looked back at Storm with a wry grin. "No way," she said.

"Well, if Emmaline's the last one standing it doesn't count," Storm finally said. "Any more complaints?" She glared at the group, daring them to speak. No one did. "Okay. My team, come with me. We'll start at the other end. When the lights dim, it's the cue to start."

Logan, Emmaline, and Kitty followed Storm across the big room, stepping over the rocks and avoiding the trees carefully. "Do we have a strategy?" Kitty asked quietly.

Logan nodded. "Yeah, kick some ass," he said.

Storm glanced back over her shoulder at him. "That plan doesn't always work."

"It does for me," he replied, slicing calmly through a branch that hung in his way.

"Kitty, you're going to need to do for the element of surprise," Storm instructed. "Get behind something and stay put until one of them walks by and grab them. Logan, you know how to fight. Try to not get them all too quickly. Emmaline…." She trailed off, unsure.

Logan took over. "You'll be the best at capturing them. Trap one or two in a corner and keep them there."

Emmaline nodded. They reached the edge of the room and Storm pressed a button to lower a computer down. Her fingers flew over the surface as she set up the program. The lights dimmed in the Training Room, leaving it shadowed like dusk. A neon red clock was illuminated on the ceiling, starting a countdown from 30:00. It was bright enough in the room to see but dark enough to set them all on edge… except Logan. He grinned and his claws slid from his hands. "Let's go," he said.

The group split up, moving through the room. The trees and rocks, which had seemed obvious and unimposing in the bright lighting, were now intimidating. Emmaline kept her shield close to her skin, listening closely. No one could get at her with her shield, but it didn't stop her hair from standing on end. The room was too quiet. Almost ten minutes had passed and Emmaline was starting to wonder if everyone had just decided to go to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a commotion to Emmaline's right side. She dodged past the trees and other obstacles to get to the action. By the time she got there, she found Kitty sitting on the ground, pouting.

"Kitty?" Emmaline said, leaning down next to her.

She looked over at Emmaline and blushed. "Bobby caught me. Had to surrender."

"Which way did he go?"

Kitty wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'm still allowed to help once I've been caught," she said. Still, her eyes flicked to the left meaningfully.

Emmaline nodded and walked steadily in that direction. With the obstacles in the room, it seemed even bigger than it had cleared out. Somewhere ahead of her Bobby was hunting for another one of her teammates to take down.

She heard Bobby's soft footsteps before she saw him. He was walking carefully, looking from side to side constantly but she was quiet enough behind him that he didn't notice her. She followed until he was in front of a particularly tall rock and moved her shield out suddenly. She pushed him gently against the rock, careful not to squish him. She knew he would give before the rock or her shield. She walked within her shield until she was next to him "Surrender?" she said.

Bobby grumbled angrily into the granite his face was pressed against. Emmaline took that as acceptance and drew back her shield. "Stay here," she reminded him.

Bobby sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. "That was sneaky," he told her, smiling good-naturedly.

Emmaline nodded to him, accepting it as a compliment before moving on. She kept her shield very close over her skin as she walked, listening closely for sounds of the other team. The adrenaline from the dark forest and hunt made her heart pound in her ears so loudly she was sure everyone could hear her. She caught sight of movement from her left side. Scott saw her at the same time she saw him. As she started towards him, he ran quickly in the other direction.

She pursued him, though she didn't have a solid plan. However, she was beat to capture him. Logan appeared from behind a tree directly in front of Scott. Logan had his claws at Scott's neck before he could reach his sunglasses. "Surrender," Scott said, sounding like the admission caused him physical pain.

Logan looked over at Emmaline. She wasn't sure how he knew she was there, since she was still far enough away to be obscured in shadow. "Got anyone yet?" he asked. He was nonchalant, as though he was not even in a fight. Though it was not real and she was completely safe in her shield anyway, Emmaline still felt on edge. "I got Rogue and Summers here." He jerked a lazy thumb down at Scott, who was sitting on the ground with a petulant frown.

"Well, I got Storm," Scott muttered.

"Got Bobby," Emmaline told them, grinning.

Logan smiled back, seeing how proud she was. "Good job."

Scott looked over at Emmaline. "How'd you do that?" he asked, getting over his annoyance at being caught to discuss tactics.

"Trapped him between a rock and a hard place. Just like I intend to do Piotr," Emmaline said.

Logan was suddenly beside her. "Not if I get him first," he said.

"Is that a challenge?" Emmaline asked.

Logan gave her a dangerous grin and took off at a sprint to his left. Emmaline ran behind him, trusting his ability to find the last mutant. The Training Room wasn't very wide and they were already within several yards of the steel wall of the room. Emmaline was about to ask Logan how he chose this direction when a solid metal arm appeared from behind a tree and slammed into Logan's throat, making him fall down.

Piotr emerged, morphing back into his normal form. "I win," he said, beaming triumphantly.

Emmaline smiled slowly. "Not if I can make you surrender."

"I've just got to last until time runs out," he countered, pointing at the hovering clock. Emmaline looked up. Less than two minutes remained. When Emmaline looked back down, he was already running in the opposite direction.

She scowled and ran after the mutant. He was quick despite his size, but Emmaline's increased workouts allowed her to stay close on his heels. She narrowly avoided tripping over Storm, who was sitting almost directly in her path. "Sorry," Emmaline called back to her, hurrying forward.

Piotr took a wrong turn and got too close to one of the prop rocks. Emmaline thrust her shield outwards, trapping him next to the stone like she did to Bobby. So quickly Emmaline would have missed the shift if she had blinked, Piotr was covered in silver metal. Emmaline frowned.

He struggled to move, but could not. "This counts as a stalemate," Piotr said. Even as he spoke, the rock he was pushed into began cracking from the pressure of the metal mutant and Emmaline's shield.

"Actually, we win." Logan was suddenly next to Piotr, claws hovering next to his neck.

Piotr sighed and looked between Logan and Emmaline. "I surrender." Overhead, the timer buzzed, indicating the end of the session. The lights turned back on and Emmaline pulled her shield away from Piotr, allowing him to step away from the rock. The Training Room was far less intimidating in the light and Emmaline allowed herself to relax.

They couldn't see her, but Storm's voice was clear. "Meet me by the door!" she called.

Piotr returned to his normal, non-metallic state and he turned at Emmaline. "I honestly didn't expect you to chase me," he said, smiling sheepishly. "That was a really clever move."

"I guess I should have taken your power into consideration though," Emmaline said as the three mutants began to walk towards the front of the room.

"So we'll count that as my win," Logan said to Emmaline.

"Weren't you supposed to stay down?" Piotr asked Logan, frowning.

"Only if it was something that would hurt a normal person," Logan said. "Your metal arm isn't as tough as you think it is."

"Or you couldn't stand losing to me," Emmaline said. "I think that was a tie, since you couldn't have gotten him if I hadn't already had him trapped."

"Yes I could have," Logan argued as they approached the rest of the group.

"No you couldn't have," Piotr argued. Emmaline grinned at him.

Storm looked around the group, making sure everyone was present. "Great job everyone," Storm said. "Not much teamwork, but sometimes it's better not to go at the enemy in big groups. I think it was a successful exercise."

"Because your team won," Scott said in a stage-whisper and they all laughed.

Storm rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I'm proud of you all. It will be different in the real world because you probably won't know what powers your opponents will have, but I have full confidence in you all. Hopefully the situation with Magneto will defuse without our interference."

Logan snorted. "Yeah, that's how it normally happens," he said sarcastically.

Storm shot a glare at Logan and then said, "Class dismissed early. You've earned it."

Emmaline fell into step beside Logan. Now that they were out of training, she couldn't stop her thoughts from going over the conversation she had overheard the night before. She glanced at him sideways. His muscles gleamed with sweat in the bright lights of the Training Room. His wife beater and sweatpants did nothing to hide his sculpted body. She looked up and realized he had been watching her stare at him. She looked away quickly. "So, who is Magneto?" she asked.

"The leader of the Brotherhood," he replied, frowning. Seeing her blank look, he grinned. "You were serious when you said you never watched the news."

"We were a family with no parents. Did you expect us to sit around every night and watch CNN?" Emmaline retorted. "So what's the Brotherhood?" Emmaline asked.

"Their goal is mutant supremacy and they don't care who they have to hurt to get it," Logan said. "Magneto has control over metal." His claws shot out from his hands and he held them up for Emmaline to inspect. "We obviously don't get on well."

"How big are they?" Emmaline asked.

"Bigger than us. It's easier to get people to fight in anger than against it," Storm said, coming up beside them. "I hear you two fight well together," she added.

"We didn't really plan on doing it," Emmaline said.

"Well, Scott's under the impression you herded him towards Logan, and that seems like a smart strategy. We might need to practice tactics more than fighting with you," she said. "Anyways, no more talk of Magneto. Go get some rest. I hear your room's set up?" Emmaline nodded. "See you both tomorrow," Storm said before leaving.

Emmaline realized that she and Logan were the last two people in the room. "Well, I guess I'd better go get out of uniform," she said.

Logan nodded. He was staring at her intensely. "Are you going to be okay tonight?" he asked, voice gruff to cover his obvious concern. "You don't have to lose your guard dogs just because you got a security system."

Emmaline smiled gratefully. "I'll survive," she assured him.

Will she? Please review!