Chapter Twenty Eight: Unexpected Moments


K's trail into the forest was hard even for Logan to follow. The rain washed away the scent and mudded up the trail, obscuring her footprints. It was frustrating in a way that Logan simply hadn't had to deal with in longer than he could remember. He very nearly lost his temper trying to follow the quickly disintegrating trail in the pouring rain when he found her shoes. Then not long after that, her jeans and a little further down, her jeans. All of it made a trail to the lake where he found her floating with just her face above the water and wearing surprisingly little in the cold weather and cold water.

It was a pretty idyllic picture – pale skin below the water obscured by the rain hitting the lake's surface. He took a moment to look around himself. This part of the lake was well apart from the house and when he realized how isolated they were, he decided sometimes, it was better to run with it than argue it. Though he was half stripped and partially into the lake himself before he realized he'd made the decision to join her. When he touched her arm, K pulled back, and before she said a word, he pulled her close and kissed her as a means of saying hello.

The cold water became a vibrant contrast to his warm skin as he kept a solid hold on her. "Any reason for the skinny dippin' – or you just feel the need to run around in your skivvies without me?"

"First of all, it's not skinny dipping if there are any clothes involved. This is a school I had some decorum. And second … I was already wet anyhow. You know… in for a penny, in for a pound." She slid deeper into the water and dipped down so her chin was under the water, considering floating again as the rain started to let up. But Logan followed her lead as they slipped into deeper water. It always surprised her when cold water suddenly seemed much warmer than the air on her wet skin by virtue of simply being submerged.

"I know what he said to you," Logan said quietly. "He doesn't know what he's talkin' about, darlin', you know that."

K looked almost distant as she replied, though and that had him worried even before she opened her mouth. "Yeah," she said, the tiniest tremor in her voice. "But it is something I've worried about." His hand slid up to cradle her jaw as he tried to make her look him in the eyes. "You don't need to say anything. I know how you feel," K continued. "It just doesn't stop me from doubting myself. I'll get past it."

"No. Listen. The day we met.. you were freshly showered – smelled like freesia and roses from using Jean's God awful soap and your face was beat to hell from a rifle butt to your temple. Then ya had to go and scare the life half outta me. I thought I'd lost you before I got a chance to steal a kiss." He smirked as she allowed him to pull her in tighter as he reminisced. "When Hank was putting you into that stupid hospital gown I was hoping like hell you'd fight again so I could pin ya down. Wasn't too happy about him doing the work there, either."

She shook her head and scrunched her nose up at him. "Just makes it sound like Creed was partly right," she said, but he quickly cut that down, shaking his head.

"If he was right, I wouldn't have noticed you until after scenting you for the first time. Weren't you listenin'? There wasn't any of your own scent on you. You smelled like flowers."

"Yeah, Jean's flowers," she laughed. "I've heard all the rumors and the old rivalry more than you realize."

But still, Logan was denying that. "I hated that soap," he grumbled. "Told her to throw it out a dozen times. Made my nose itch." That at least got a hesitant smile from her as he continued. chuckling at the memory. "Hell, probably why she kept it. Knew it was hard for me to be near her like that."

"So what did it?" K asked. "I've seen the women you've fallen for in the past, and I don't stack up. "

At that, Logan truly looked disappointed. He wasn't much of a talker most of the time anyhow … but knowing that he'd neglected this enough that she'd believe even a word of Creed's garbage had him convinced it was high time he made a point of letting her know what he thought of her.

"First of all, you're wrong. Remember that. Hell, maybe you need to look in the mirror a little closer, but the fact is you knocked the wind out of me. It was instant. Helps that you were the prettiest damn thing I ever saw."

"Uh huh," she said doubtfully as he squeezed her a little tighter. "So, by the time we got into that clearing in the woods?"

"I knew I sure as hell wasn't gonna let you blow up," he said seriously. She blushed lightly in spite of herself as she thought back on how that walk had gone, but that only earned her another smirk. "The more I got to know ya, the better you got, sweetheart. Your scent is just the tip of the iceberg."

"That kiss," K said quietly, smiling crookedly. "Yeah, you can still get whatever you want like that."

"Goes both ways," Logan said. "But … I can't smell you at all right now, darlin'."

"Nothing but rainwater, really," she agreed as she swam a little further away from him. He wouldn't let her go far though. Holding her hand gently, he reeled her back in. The two of them took a little time to center themselves, playing around very much like they did on their honeymoon - away from the rest of the house and nothing in the world distracting them for a moment, anyhow.


As it turned out, Jean had to reach out for them to come in, though she couldn't help but laugh out loud when Logan asked her to try again when the students were in bed unless she was ready for them to come up naked. She turned to Scott, red faced from laughing and the mental image. "What do they expect to do until the kids are in bed?" she laughed, but her tone was entirely troublemaking.

"I'll give you three guesses, honey – they're probably naked already, running around out there," Scott replied. "Though, we could send Bobby down there with a couple towels. Have him threaten to freeze the lake."

Jean grinned and called Bobby over, sure that the Howletts didn't need any more excuses to get wild in creative places, let alone when most of the mansion knew they were outside somewhere and guessing exactly what they were up to. Suspicion was one thing – the risk that someone might look out if the two of them got too carried away to pay attention to where they were and see the two of them far too close in the water …. Well, that was another story all together. She laughed even harder when ten minutes later, Bobby practically flew past them with Logan hot on his heels, stark naked and swearing up a blue streak with frost in his hair.

The laughter stopped however, when K slipped past them on her way to their room leisurely taking her time as she went by, just as naked as he was and not in nearly the rush the boys had been in. Apparently, Bobby thought it would be funnier if he didn't bring the towels.


It took months of preparation for the two captives, but finally, the day was quickly approaching for the X-Men to hand over the criminals that had been held at the Institute. After that last discussion, K had since refused to have any further contact with Creed, following Logan's advice to keep away from him entirely. Even in the face of Charles who was requesting she help him. The Howletts were convinced that reform was simply not an option for Creed, and the two of them adamantly ignored any attempted guilt trips from any of the telepaths as they tried in vain to persuade K to help them with Creed's attempted rehabilitation.

On the other hand, K had started to spend more time with Daken. It seemed as though they'd reached a bit of a cease fire. She refused to tell him about herself, or her past – and nothing at all about the children she had with Logan. Instead, they simply chatted when he'd request her presence, or when very rarely, she'd take the initiative to visit him. She was guarded, sure that he was trying to find her weaknesses - but she was only partly right.

Daken had never really had a woman's influence in his life; not since his foster mother died that is, and she was no prize. He didn't see K in that role, but seemed to be realizing that much of what he had thought to be true about women was off base. K wasn't weak – though she was fiercely protective of her family – Logan included. When Daken said she was little more than an animal in an attempt to rile her, she simply asked him what made him think he was any better.

"You are trying to kill your father, after all," K said. "If that isn't a wanna be alpha wolf pack kind of thing, I don't know what is." She ran her hand through her hair and leaned back on the bench across from the door of his cell.

"No, you've got it wrong – that's what they do to control the pack. I just -"

"Want to be the big dog," K finished. "Want the old alpha out of the way and for everyone to acknowledge you as better? Doesn't matter if it kills the pack, you want to take him down." Daken stared at her open mouthed, clearly never having thought of it that way. He shook his head, almost violently before he launched into a long winded explanation of Bushido, which, of course, she'd heard before from her Samurai husband.

"Woof," K cut in to the middle of his tirade, stopping him in his tracks.

"Shut up. That's not it at all," he growled out.

"Then how about this. You were lied to – you know you were lied to – which, by definition was a less than honorable thing for your mentor to do – but I digress. Still, you believe the lies rather than give your father a shot, while using every chance you can to convince yourself and everyone around you that you're doing the honorable thing in trying to treat your father like a dog."

"So, you want me to give him a chance – just forget all of it and be an X-Man?"

"Hell no. You start hanging around I'm going to have to share him with you. No thank you," K teased as she stood up, and shockingly, it left Daken smirking at the thought. "I just want you to make your own life. If he – and I, if you'd like, are to be part of it, fine. Or, if it's just that you need me to kick your ass from time to time, consider me on call."

It took a few days, but in the end, Daken chose to try and let it go – at least for the time being.

When Fury came to retrieve Daken, K was the one advocating to remove the muzzle he'd worn all this time, solely for the purpose of letting him shave – something she knew Daken really wanted to do. And as part of that, Charles insisted that Logan be the one to keep a hold on him once it was time to move him.

The day Daken and Creed left the Institute was a quiet one. Everyone was prepared for all hell to break loose. They were all tense and ready to spring, but it ended up going down smoothly without a single snag. In fact, the only part that was unplanned was when little Abbey slipped out past Kitty, rushing to her parents as Daken was being taken into custody. Daken stopped in his tracks when he saw her pulling on K's leg, watching their interaction carefully.

Of course, K picked her up and Abbey turned in her arms to look at Daken, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder as she watched him with those brilliant icy blue eyes they both shared with their father. Daken honestly didn't know what to do when Abbey waved at him sadly, saying 'bye bye brudder'.

He stared back at her in open shock. The fact that she knew who he was had a million questions rushing through his mind and all he wanted now was a few minutes to talk to his father and stepmother alone. Clearly, Abbey didn't know the extent that Daken had gone to try to kill either of them and it was driving him nuts wondering if it wasn't that, then what did they tell her?

One of the Agents at his elbow jostled him and Daken cleared his throat before he waved the tips of his fingers at his little sister with a smile. "Goodbye, little one," he said. "Be good for your mother."

"Okay, love you!" Abbey called out, and again, Daken frowned, looking over to K with a look of concentrated confusion as the SHIELD agents loaded him up.


Just about the time it seemed that things were getting quiet at the Institute, K and several of her best riding students decided to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon riding in the arena. The students were prepping for K's obstacle course, excitement over the annual test was getting higher as they got closer and no one but K had seen it.

K was working a young horse that one of the newest students had brought with when she came to the school. She'd been riding the horse almost exclusively for two months, and the hot little chestnut mare was coming along, but she was also unbelievably easy to spook. The girl that had brought her was watching K from the bleachers with Logan, who had just gotten back from a mission earlier than anticipated and had left the little ones sleeping where they were curled up with Rachel and Jean so he could watch K work.

All at once, everything went to hell. A massive horsefly bit Zoe's horse on the backside where neither Zoe or the horse could reach, causing it to buck her off hard and take off bucking and crow hopping around the arena. Chloe's horse spooked sideways at the loose horse, though she managed to keep on, though that was definitely due to her asking the horse to settle with her ability to speak to animals in play. The mare K was on seemed to be alright until the bucking horse kicked at her as it passed her by. The mare screamed out, rearing up high and K pushed her reins forward and grabbed onto her mane, leaning as far forward as she could, but it was too late and the mare began back pedaling fast. All at once the mare's back feet went out from under her and over she went – squarely on top of her rider with a huge echoing crack. Logan jumped up, running hard for her; the only thing he could focus on was K's limp body as the horse got back up and started to run, dragging her by her foot caught up in the stirrup.

She didn't go too far though, before K's foot slipped out of the boot and the horse continued on, leaving K a bloodied mess, spread eagle at the center of the arena. Logan kneeled down next to her as Jubilee rushed to catch the loose mare as Zoe already had gotten her horse under control.

"Sweetheart, Come on – look at me," Logan said as he leaned over K, brushing her hair out of her face as she started to come around. "What the hell broke?" It was clear he was nervous about what or how she could have broken anything at all. When she opened her eyes, she took a moment to gather herself up, moaning a little as she tried to not move.

"Is Zoe OK?" K asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, she's fine. Standin' right there, didn't get so much as a bump, but what about you? What broke, damnit?" Logan demanded.

"I … it hurts. Just. Wait," K said quietly as he worried over her. He knew she'd be fine, but even though he didn't want to move her, that didn't mean he wasn't impatient, and as she tried not to move or jostle anything, Logan began to pull up her shirt to see where the damage was centered.

K didn't even try to stop him, though she wished she had when she felt him go still and tense next to her. She picked her head up a little and stole a peek at her stomach - her entire torso was blooming a very dark black as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Damnit K, what the hell broke?" Logan asked, his voice tense as he was unable to see what could have been the source of that sickening hollow sound.

"Saddle."

"What?"

"Saddle tree broke. Snapped in half," K said, covering his hand with hers as it rested over the worst of the black bruising at her middle A little while later, she sat up with his help, though the black bruise still hadn't faded even a tiny bit. "Sonofabitch. Where is my boot?" K's voice was thick and sluggish, but it was at least a sign that she was on her way of healing up.

"Come on, let's get you inside," Logan said, shaking his head as he pulled her up. He kept his arm around her to hold her upright. With a sigh, he tried to control his tense reaction knowing that had she been 'normal' she'd probably be in traction after that wreck.

"Not yet," K replied, fighting him as he tried to guide her to the gate. "Jubes, bring that mare over here."

Jubilee looked nervous, but as she glanced between the two of them, she did as K asked, walking both her horse and the mare that had flipped, who was shaking like a leaf. K walked to the mare's side, then pulled the broken saddle off her and showed the students gathered around her how the saddle had broken before pulling Jubilee's saddle off of her horse swinging it up onto the nervous mare.

"Sweetheart, what the hell-" Logan started before K cut him off.

"Gotta get back on, love. You know how it is with horses. I can't leave her after a wreck like that or she'll think she can do it all the time - and to someone a lot less durable."

But Logan really didn't like the sound of that at all, and he looked almost murderous as she asked him for a leg up on the now freshly saddled mare. "Come on, Logan. If I don't, someone has to. You're not a trainer and I'm not asking any of these kids to get on this mare until I know she's over the rearing."

He glared at her with his best 'I am so not happy with you' stare, but she didn't wait for him before she climbed up with some serious effort. Once she was seated well, the mare started to dance until K got her moving again. The mare was of course, more nervous as she passed the other horses and the spot where she'd gone over backwards. But K kept riding her with a little smile that didn't reach her eyes until the mare settled a bit then she quickly slid off.

"Now what?" Logan growled out.

"Now, I guess I start looking for another saddle. That one's shot."

"I don't care about the saddle, K."

"Oh. Well, now I ride her three times a day instead of two until she's safe again," K replied. But the little girl that owned her was in tears, terrified on seeing how her teacher had been hurt. "Oh, Cat, I'd rather she did it with me than with you. It's fine, unless you're scared of her."

Cat was scared, but on hearing it, K only amended her plan with the mare to make sure she was safe so she could sell her for Cat. The two ferals argued about it all the way back to the house as the teens put away the horses. Logan advocated that K take it easy, K argued that he was being overprotective.

And meanwhile, the girls were looking at the broken saddle. It could fold nearly in half now and it had broken so cleanly, that the saddle horn gad also broken at a bad angle. They didn't know it, but the horn had broken when the horse stood up again, only snapping free as it pulled on K's ribcage.

Logan refused to listen to her protestations and made sure to drag her to Hank to be looked over as the kids examined the damage to the equipment.

"If this had happened to one of us -" Zoe started.

"We'd be dead, probably," Chloe finished as the girls started imagining what kind of damage K had sustained, and likely already partially healed from.

"That's why she won't let anyone ride any of the horses here until she clears them," Jubilee supplied. "Remember that Arabian? She finally let it go when it bashed her into the wall a dozen times."

"She's been using herself like a crash test dummy for us," Paige said quietly.

"We should do something nice for her before we go to college," Emmett added. All of the kids were in agreement, but none knew what to do.