Chapter Thirteen: What Comfort Zone?

The flight back to the Institute from the helicarrier was uneventful aside from the fact that K had started to shiver uncontrollably once they were airborne and away from the heating devices that had warmed her up initially. Logan didn't bother to ask if she was alright before pulling her onto his lap on the floor and wrapping blankets around the both of them. But it still took well over an hour for her to warm up enough to stop. That on its own had left her incredibly sore.

When they finally made it back to Westchester, Kitty and Charles met them with the little ones, who of course mobbed their parents on sight. The ferals didn't stick around before they got themselves settled in at the boathouse, though Logan was almost laughing at his three little troublemakers when he couldn't get them to go to bed. Naturally, they insisted on joining their parents instead. It had been a hard few days for them, after all. K didn't mind one bit, and even tickled them as she snuggled up with them half piled between Logan and herself, all of them covered up and cozy.

Once she'd gotten in bed, K had pulled the blanket up to her ears and had passed out almost as soon as she'd stopped teasing them and gotten comfortable. Rose was nearest to her with her hand on K's cheek as she slept. K was still smiling lightly as she drifted off to sleep with Logan watching her and relaxing with them, even with James yanking on his sideburns. When the little ones were soundly asleep, he carefully picked each one up and put them to bed before climbing back in with his wife. He pulled her over to him as tightly as he could, burying his nose in her hair and letting the relief finally wash over him. Sleepily, K rolled in his arms to face him, sliding her hand onto his neck as he kissed her. It was clear the two of them just needed the time, and for the moment, he was perfectly happy just to not let her out of his reach.

For the first few weeks back, anytime K would get a chill it would take her hours to warm up. There wasn't enough hot coffee or tea in the western hemisphere to heat her up when she got cold, and she found that for her, the only real remedy was a scorching hot shower then wrapping herself up with a blanket and Logan, not that he was complaining in the least. When Hank opined that having Logan in the equation was probably a bit over the top, Scott was the one to shock most of them when he defended her insistence. "If she says she needs him, she needs him," Scott said, which honestly only had Jean smiling at him and curling into him more comfortably herself.

Initially, seeing K shiver made Logan's stomach flip as he remembered her violent shaking on the jet home, but by the time it began to ebb, he almost looked forward to seeing her scrunched up on herself as she rushed across the lawn to him, trying to make herself smaller as she hurried, only to slip her arms around him and snuggle into his chest 'for warmth.' Then of course, once she was warm, she always made a point of thanking him thoroughly and creatively.

No one was pushing her to come back to practice, and she was cuddling James, having tea with Charles and Jean while Abbey tried to keep Rachel and Rose from biting each other when Scott came in asking K to join him on a quick pick up.

"Ah – isn't Logan back yet?" K asked, which was precisely when Charles realized that she hadn't done one mission since her return nearly six weeks ago.

"No, he's still with the Avengers. Come on, we have to rush this one," Scott said as he stepped toward the door.

"I don't think so," K said quietly.

Scott turned around slowly, frowning to himself as he watched her for a moment. "Why not?"

"I just - can't." K shrugged up one shoulder and tipped her head toward James, who was snuggled in with his head on her chest and half asleep.

"Come on, K. Quit screwing around and suit up. I need your help." He looked torn between trying to be motivational and irritated.

"Scott, maybe you should get Laura," Charles said evenly, which only sealed it for Scott. He looked over to K and James just long enough to make it clear that he couldn't believe that she wasn't interested in working with him for a simple mission.

He muttered out a disgruntled sounding 'Fine' as he left, but it was clear to Charles anyhow that Jean was trying to soothe him - even from a distance. Charles waited until James had fallen asleep before he breached the subject. "K, what's wrong?" Charles asked gently but to begin with, K simply didn't answer, and instead simply held James a bit tighter as he slept - his little hand resting on her neck as he slumbered on. K shook her head and tried to ignore him - instead watching Rose joyfully play with Rachel and Michael. "I see. Daken got to you and now you don't want to leave the little ones."

"They're just so small. I've been reckless," K replied finally. "We both have. I know I came close when I froze. I know what it's like to lose a parent - and I don't want to miss them growing up."

"Does Logan know how you feel about this?" Jean asked, frowning to herself, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"We haven't talked about it, but I think so. He didn't really want me going on missions anyhow," K replied.

Jean and Charles shared a look, a quick telepathic conversation happening as they weighed it out. But though it certainly wasn't unusual for the X-Men to run through team members, neither of them had considered that K would just … back away. Not when she'd been so front and center for as long as she'd been with them. It was nice to have someone that could help pull Logan out of trouble, so to hear she was having second thoughts about what they were doing ...

It's not like we don't know how easy it is to get burnt out on a thankless job that earns you psychotic, obsessive enemies that have nothing better to think about than than making you miserable, Jean projected to Charles with a tone of bitterness.

Yes, I suppose I should have expected it sooner, Charles replied. Especially considering all of the other circumstances she's been forced to deal with since coming here - Logan's enemy list alone would be more than enough to dissuade even our most resilient allies.

Although that's true? Jean projected back to him. If you phrase it like that to her, I'll blame you if they move out.

I'd never say it like that to her, Charles promised, though as he did so, he was sure to pour a bit more tea for all three of them, trying to decide how best to approach it.

It wasn't long before K took her little ones back to the boat house to finish out their naps and to try to settle in. She was trying very hard to be a good mother, and in the process, she was acting less like herself the more she threw herself into it. What she didn't know was that Logan had noticed the changes, and was under the impression that it was a temporary thing - a way of coping with the near miss. But … when it became apparent it wasn't he realized he didn't need Scott's peptalk to take the bull by the horns. But he was got it anyhow.

Logan had barely gotten back from his mission with the Avengers when Scott stepped out of the ready room - arms crossed and a little frown in place. "She needs some motivation, Logan," Scott said in lieu of a greeting, then fell into step with him as he wove through the underground halls.

"Yeah, I know," Logan said, almost distracted. He was worn out and pretty battered from the scuff up with Hydra. "I just don't know what the hell I can do about it."

"Well … get creative," Scott said, frowning. Logan stopped in his tracks and turned to face Scott, though of course, Scott didn't back off or elaborate.

"I've got it, Slim," Logan said, holding one hand up. "Just … don't get in the middle."

"She turned me down flat," Scott said - deciding to keep the slate clean, if he could. "It was an easy run, but she didn't even want to hear it."

"Alright, I got it, I got it."

Scott's lips pursed as he watched Logan go, no doubt already working on a plan of his own if Logan couldn't get K to cooperate.

On the way to the boat house, Logan was sure to pick up one of her uniforms from the locker room, smirking to himself as he looked at the new lines Jean had arranged to be put into it. He waved off Jubilee, and side stepped around the sisters that K had brought with her before he made a beeline for the boathouse. From outside, he could smell that Kitty and Jean were inside with their little ones - but the kids weren't making a peep.

He let himself in and smirked when he saw the way the kids were snuggled up and sleeping in a couple of little piles. Of course, that was all he did before he tossed the uniform at K. "C'mon, sweetheart. You got a danger room session in ten minutes." Logan said firmly.

K frowned and gathered the uniform up, taking only what time she needed to realize what he'd thrown at her. "No, I don't." She balled up the fabric and threw it right back at him, almost rebounding it off of his head.

"Yes, you do. You've been actin' off since we got back from Russia. Time to get back on the horse, woman," he growled out, then threw it back to her again with a little more force. "Now get your ass dressed or I'll drag you up there in your jeans."

"I don't want to train," K argued, throwing the uniform to the floor this time. "You don't need me to do that shit. Hell, you never even wanted me to do that. You only trained me so I could fight Creed."

"Bein' able to fight Creed ain't enough. I should have pushed it sooner. I got a helluva lot more nasty monsters out there wantin' to do the downtown stomp on me than I can count. Gettin' you prepped to take on one of em' ain't gonna cut it. You need to be ready for all of 'em, cuz any one of those jackasses'd be more'n happy to tear you up for kicks."

And while the two ferals went back and forth, Kitty and Jean were watching the discussion like a tennis match. K looked away from Logan for a moment to the little ones. The twins were currently sleeping with Rachel in the middle of them and Abbey was curled up with Michael until she rushed to her father, still madly in love with the stripes on his uniform. He picked her up smoothly and Abbey took the time to choose that particular moment to put her hands on either side of his face to tell him to hold still as she leaned forward to carefully give him a kiss. Abbey then threw herself forward, her arms across his shoulders, patting him as she gave him her version of a hug, humming to herself as she did so.

Making her parents kiss was still something she liked to do almost every chance she got, though she'd gotten more aggressive with them in her quest to see more snuggles - often going so far as slapping either of them if they didn't kiss quickly enough. But this was one of those times that Abbey could see was not the time to even try it.

"Go on. I'm waitin'," Logan growled, his chin tipped up as Abbey continued to cuddle him. K glared at him for a moment, huffed, and then stomped into their bedroom, dragging the uniform behind her as she swore in Swedish only to reappear what felt to be far too quickly.

She stalked right past him and paused at the front door. "Well, come on," K said, arms crossed over her chest. "You want me to throw down - let's throw down."

"That isn't what I said."

"Then it's too damn bad that's what's gonna happen anyhow," K shot back.

Logan gave her a dry look and kissed Abbey as Jean slipped over and picked her up out of his arms. "We'll be here, no need to ask." Of course, that got her an even drier look, though he could see by the fact that K had already slipped out of the house that now was not the time to try and hit the finer points with either of them.

When the couple got up to the danger room, Logan went in with her to coach and Scott took up the controls on the board at Logan's request. And true to form, Scott and Logan started her rough, diving right into the heart of her issues as he set Daken loose on her. Logan honestly didn't expect her to do well, but she did. Her anger drove her as she fought him, only leaving the Scott and Logan more at a loss at the level of pure ferocity she was showing - right alongside her obvious reluctance. It seemed that her speed was increased from the last time Scott had run her through her paces. She was just as quick as she was before she'd gotten her adamantium, easily matching Daken for speed, but her strength wasn't where it was before.

And after she'd fought him for the third time, and she didn't take a kill shot - Scott was a little bit confused. Particularly since Logan had made the impression that a kill shot might be the only thing to handle Daken. "Why isn't she putting him down?" Scott asked Logan as he entered the booth, finally having left her to work when she'd snarled at him to get lost. Even if she was mad at him, Logan was still pleased with K's progress.

"She doesn't wanna kill my son," Logan said, having heard her intentions to put him down but not out. But that wasn't what he was trying to get her to do. He was trying to get her to push. So when Scott smirked - obviously pleased by this particular turn of events, Logan leaned forward to hit the button on the intercom. "Darlin', you may have to get more aggressive with him down the line."

She already had Daken laid out unconscious in a heap a few feet away from her, and her hackles were clearly still up. "No," K growled out, leaving no room for discussion on the matter. "Who's next?"

The words barely left her lips when Daken's form was replaced with a screaming Lady Deathstrike. Her approach to K was an entirely different world to Daken's and K easily avoided her, dancing right through her outstretched fingers, cutting off bits of the cyborg monster as she went past her again and again. Sure, she would take a hit now and again as they tangled, but before long, Deathstrike was in a state of disrepair. Before K could turn to question Logan and Scott, Daken appeared with Viper, and a warning from Scott that although it was a simulation, the poisons that Viper carried were close duplicates.

K dodged the darts, but found herself at the business end of Daken's claws. As soon as she was stationary, Viper had her by the neck with her bullwhip before the simulation was ended.

Logan had been the one to call it a day as K caught her breath. The two X-Men gave her a little space and plotted out what to do next - which sims they wanted to push her through … and after that, every day they pushed her into more training. And every day, she dragged her feet only to prove herself in spectacular fashion. She was getting some confidence back as she battled some of the worst bad guys the two of them could think of. Logan was downright impressed at her work, though Cyber was a particular nasty case that she had trouble with. And not just in the Danger Room. After that sim, she began having nightmares - most of them starring Cyber in some form or another, but she refused to talk to Charles about it yet. "You wanted me to train? I'm training," she said.

"You're gonna have to deal with it if Cyber's an issue," Logan said, though he didn't quite get any further than that before she'd nearly tackled him - one hand over his mouth.

"You don't get to dictate to me, love. You wanted me to train - I'm training. You want me to deal with Cyber issues, then I stop. Training."

"Kinda counter productive, don'tcha think?" Logan asked with a frown.

"Shut up," she replied with a little sneer. "Unless you have your own list of crap you're talking to someone about?"

"Got it. No throwin' stones."

"You're damn right," K said, backing off just enough for him to smirk up at her and then slide closer to steal a kiss.

And though there was some severe resistance from K to even consider talking about Cyber - he wasn't the only one that proved to be problematic. Omega Red was another one that took her off guard. He simply wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before - and if she was being honest, the thick Russian accent struck a chord she didn't like admitting freaked her out a little.

K was starting to get into their whole torture routine … until Scott sent a sim of Logan after her.

It absolutely wasn't something she wanted to deal with - nor did she expect it when the simulated Wolverine came at her in a full rage-filled snarl. She avoided him, not wanting to fight her husband as the simulation slashed at her ruthlessly. She had little hope of avoiding him forever, and she flat refused to harm him.

"Gotta do it, K. Take him down," Scott urged. "I know you've had to fight him before. For your speed you should be able to stop him." K glared at the booth just long enough for the simulation to slash her across the face, splitting her cheek wide open and missing her eye by millimeters, her metal coated cheek bone shining up through the blood before it stitched itself closed.

But Scott found himself more than a little bit stunned when K finally took his advice and went on the offense in a big way. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, and all at once, Scott saw what it was that the department had taught her as she slipped into something not quite to Logan's berserk attack - though her ferocity forced the simulated Wolverine backward as they battled.

Logan himself hadn't been in the booth when that sim had started up. Jean had asked him to step out and give Abbey a kiss after she'd fallen and scraped her knee … so he'd missed what it was that Scott had set up for the 'big' fight. In fact, he'd been thinking about what their next sim was going to be. He had thought that K was on to fighting Daken when he stepped into the booth, seeing as that was what he and Scott had agreed to earlier. But her snarls didn't match up to anything she'd done against Daken, and frankly, as soon as he heard it, he knew something was wrong.

"Logan," Scott said as he rose slowly for a better view. "We have a problem." Distractedly, Logan looked over into the room, surprised thoroughly by his little wife, who looked to be a swipe or two from taking the simulation down. The simulated Wolverine was fighting her as viciously as if she were one of his worst enemies, and for a moment Logan froze. It was clear that the files were right - she was perfectly prepared to kill him if she'd set her mind to it - but that … clearly wasn't something she wanted to do if the fact that her tears were clearly visible from the booth as she fought.

And neither Logan or Scott could do anything but watch.