A/N: Thank you everyone for the great reviews. Ya'll are awesome.

I know some of you don't like Otto, but I love his character as much as I do Bell's. Even though he's Bells big brother, he's still young himself and has had a hard time and has done some bad things and is trying to deal with it. We're only seeing things from Bells view point.

However, just because I like him doesn't mean you can't tell me you hate him. I love when I get a review telling me what a jerk he's being; it makes me think you like Bell's character.

I was still sitting on my couch after Pyro was gone, wondering what I was doing, when there was a knock on my door. I frowned as sat up. Had Pyro forgotten something and come back?

I got up and padded over to pull the door open and to find Otto on the other side. I knew the surprise I felt was written all over my face.

"Hey." He greeted me.

"Hi." I backed up to let him in, wondering what he was doing here. "Is something wrong?"

Shaking his head no, he silently shut the door behind him.

I folded my arms and titled my head, looking at him; he was still wearing the same worn out jeans and boots with a gray t-shirt. It was still warm enough that you didn't need a jacket yet.

"What's going on?" I asked. He looked like he had something on his mind, and I wondered if this surprise visit had something to do with earlier.

Otto looked me right in the eye. "What I said, I was wrong for it and I'm sorry."

I was taken aback by the apology and before I could think to respond he continued.

"Sometimes I forget you're just a regular person, I mean I know you're not a mutant, but you're still different. You're my sister." He rubbed the back of his neck, then looked…sheepish? "I'm not making sense."

I nodded. "I get what your saying."

"I'm trying to change the way I think about things." He thought for a second then added."Again."

Confused, I frowned. "Again?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just know I'm trying here, okay? And I'm sorry about what I said; really sorry. I wasn't thinking and I didn't mean to hurt you."

He waited for me to say something, and I just looked at him, amazed. His expression was the sincerest I'd seen in a long time, but it took me a moment to pick up on the uncertainty. Like he was worried I wouldn't accept the apology?

"Thank you." I knew him well enough to know he rarely apologized for anything he did, even when he'd been a nice guy. I loved him too much not to forgive him.

He let out a sigh, almost like he'd been holding his breath.

"And I'm sorry too for the not thinking about what I said, and then you know, flipping you."

The edges of his mouth curved up slightly, almost smile. "Actually I was impressed. Once I caught my breath."

I smiled proudly. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yea. Looks like Wolverine was actually teaching you something."

"Yea. I kind of miss it." I admitted. I missed Logan even more though. I hadn't realized how attached I'd grown to him until he was gone.

Otto nodded. "I know it's getting kind of late, but do you want to try and get something to eat again?"

I smiled, was he trying to make it up to me? "Yea, sure." I hadn't eaten since this morning since lunch hadn't gone as planned.

"Alright. Same place?"

"Works for me." I picked up my purse and located my keys. I followed him out and we walked over to the restaurant.

I thought it was going to be awkward, like the augment had set us back again, but Otto surprised me again. He made an effort to make it pleasant, like he was trying to make up for what he'd said. We avoided all topics that might lead to an argument and I think that was for the best. If there was a lull in the conversation he'd pick it back up again, usually it was to ask me something. He wanted to know how my classes were going, if I liked working at the library?

I appreciated his trying, it made me feel like he really did care after all, but I was starting to realize that my hope of finding the person I remembered in him was a lost cause. Since leaving home something had changed permanently in him, and I wondered what had brought it on. I mean, I know that being with the Brotherhood was part of the reason, but it couldn't be the cause of it all, could it?

There were things I missed about the boy he'd been, but I was seeing not all of him was gone. This was trying to make something up to me, came straight from when we were kids. If there had been a bad fight between us, he had always been the one to try to make it better (I'll admit I was too spoiled to be the bigger person usually and get past it without an incentive). Granted, we'd never had problems like this before.

Then I wondered what he thought of the ways I'd changed. Did he not like it? Was that part of the reason for the problems we'd been having? It didn't seem fair to put all the blame on him.

We finished up and he walked me back home.

"Again, I really am sorry for what I said." Otto looked over at me as we climbed the stairs to my apartment (the elevator only worked about half the time).

"Forget about it, okay?" I told him, because I just wanted to get past it.

He opened his open to say something.

"I didn't say the right thing earlier either." I stopped at the top of the stairs. "But I forgive you."

He studied me for a second before nodding. "Okay."

"Good." I nodded.

"Alright. Enough with the chick flick moments." He shouldered open the stairwell door. "You want to play Xbox with me?"

I laughed. "Seriously?" The offer seemed to come out of left field.

"Yea."

"Okay, sure, but I'm warning you I haven't improved." I was never into video games when I'd been a kid, I always wanted to be outside, and then when I'd gotten older I was too worried about my friends to get interested, so I had no skill with them.

"I didn't figure, but I'm tired of playing by myself."

"I can't believe you still play." I stated. Otto had liked them since he'd gotten his first Nintendo, but they were usually reserved for when it was too dark to play outside anymore.

"Kills time." He shrugged as I opened up my apartment door. "I'll go get it."

"'K."

Otto was gone in the blink of an eye then back again with the gaming system in hand and games tuck under his arm. "I've got some old school games you should be able to handle."

Turns out, I was still lacking in video game skills. Otto won most of the games we played, but I got in a few wins. However, I think that was just him being nice and letting me.

Thoughts of Pyro stayed at bay while Otto was there. It the first time I hung out with my brother without something going wrong, and if I thought about Pyro I'd start worrying about getting found out so I just didn't.

XXX

I got my first glimpse of Jean the next day. It was on my way back from lunch, I'd eaten outside with Rogue, enjoying the warm weather before it faded away, when I'd seen Ms. Monroe with a woman I'd never seen before. They were walking the outer limits of the grounds, away from where the students and most anyone else went.

She was of course gorgeous, something I'd come to expect from the women that stayed here. Must be something in the water? But anyway, I at first didn't have a clue who she was, not until I'd pointed her out to Rogue and asked.

"That's Jean." She told me.

"She's really pretty." I said, to be nice. Otto had been right, it wasn't my place to deem her dangerous or not.

"Yea." Rogue's tone was flat.

"You don't like her?"

"I like her fine."

"But…?"

She looked at me. "But Logan left because of her." She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad she's alive and thankful that she's back in control of herself, but I just wish Logan hadn't left."

I frowned. "I still don't understand why Logan left because of her. Does he not like her?"

"Yea right." She snorted. "He's in love with her."

My eyebrows shot up. "Say what?" Logan in love? We were talking about the same guy here, right?

"You heard me." She replied as we headed into the building that housed the library.

"But…now I'm really confused. If he loved her then why leave?"

"I'm not sure." Rogue admitted. "I think it has something to do with Scott, that's she still in love with him. But honestly it doesn't make sense why her coming back would make him leave. I guess something happen that I don't know about." She heaved a sigh. "All I do know is that Logan's gone."

Rogue was hurting over that; I could hear it in her voice.

I bumped shoulders with her. "Maybe not for good."

"Maybe." It didn't sound like she believed it.

"So who's Scott?" I changed topics.

"He was another X-Men here. I'd say the Professor's second in command. Him and Jean were together. Him and Storm helped save me and Logan, then brought us here."

I frowned. "You knew Logan before you came here?"

"Yea, kind of."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

"It wasn't very long. We meet in a roadhouse."

"How old were you?" She was only twenty-two now, and I knew she'd been here for awhile, so what had she been doing hanging out at a roadhouse that would attract a guy like Logan?

"Seventeen. So that's been about five years ago. When I left home I headed north. He was hustling fights at the roadhouse for money. Afterward a couple of guys came to give him trouble, saying there wasn't a way he could have fought like that without a mark to show for it. To say the least claws were drawn and he had to leave. I needed a ride and snuck onto his trailer to hitch a ride without his knowing but he caught me." She smiled a little like she was remembering it.

"So that's how ya'll meet, huh? You weren't scared of him?" I knew I would have been. Hell, I had been and I hadn't even known about those claws of his.

"Yea, but there would have been only so much he could have done to me thanks to my powers and believe me, I was better off taking that chance with him than with the other guys in that place."

"Yea, I reckon you were." The conversation ended after that and I headed back to the library to finish off the day.

I wasn't sure how I felt about Jean, but I suppose it didn't matter what I thought about her since it wasn't like I had a say in the matter. Besides, there were other things weighing on my mind.

I'd had a great time with Otto yesterday (excluding lunch), better then I've had in a long time. I was still surprised Otto had apologized but it made me think he was trying, that he cared. That's what I needed from him.

Growing up Mama had always warned me to be nice to my brother, because when she and Daddy were gone, Otto was going to be all I had left. I don't think this was how she'd indented things to end up when she told me that, but either way she'd been right.

Rogue and Kurt and everyone were wonderful and I loved them to death, but Otto was family. We came from the same place and had a history-a good history together, one that made me giving up on him impossible.

I'd come to accept this wasn't going to happen overnight. He'd changed, I'd changed, and even our environment was different. This was bound to be difficult at times, and if I could keep him from finding out about Pyro, then I think it might work.

If Otto had been more like he'd been before, mild mannered, easy to get along with, not much on fighting, then I wouldn't have been as terrified of him finding out about Pyro. He would have gotten mad, yelled some, told how disappointed he was in me, I wouldn't have liked it but I could deal with it.

But now? I had no idea. I don't believe for one second he'd hurt me, but Pyro was another story. Otto was a big guy and this new aggression in him made me think he could do real damage. Not to say I thought Pyro couldn't hold his own, but them fighting (and possibly killing the each other) was the last thing I wanted. How would I be able to get over my brother if killing Pyro? And I don't think I'd even be able to forgive John if he hurt my brother.

I shouldn't even be worrying about Pyro's well fair. He was most likely using me anyway. I was risking what I had with my brother on a guy who was probably going to do serious damage to me.

Why?

I shook my head.

I have no idea why.

A/N: I'd love to hear what you think, so leave a review!