Retro - yes, killing is not something to take lightly. Greer has always been an x-men and this will not be an easy change for her. And yes...someone told me to work harder on integrating more fluff and it was some good advice.

CC - don't worry, I'm sure Logan has something diabolical planned for those that lie to him. And glad you've been liking the work, finally getting a better handle on jumping between my two ferals. Who said one can't slash and cuddle at the same time?

Cheshire - yea...who was that flash of brunette and growl? hmmmm ; )

Greer took a deep breath, before trying to stop her hand from shaking as she reached for the object she hated so much. She tried to keep her breath and heart steady...She knew Colton and Logan were watching her closely and there was no way she would allow them to see that she was afraid.

They still didn't want her to go through with this...worse, they didn't believe she could do this. They always felt the need to protect her. Greer scowled before closing her hand around the metal, and lifting it. She didn't need anyone to protect her and she could handle herself.

"You alright Tigger?" Logan asked gruffly, his brows furrowed with concern. It had taken some work but Apex had convinced Logan to come back that afternoon. As Greer's previous instructor, he knew it was important for him to be there.

"Yeah… Yeah I'm fine." Greer answered coolly. She could tell Colton was eying her from his corner. He was analyzing her...Probably wondering why her wrists were trembling, why her tail had gone limp from hesitation instead of using it as a balance like he had instructed. Greer narrowed her eyes, she remembered a time when she actually had faith in herself when she was in a fight, where she just trusted her instincts to guide her through a battle. Why couldn't she do it now?

'Well for one, weapon x traumatized me for life and secondly… I'm holding a god damn gun.' Greer thought sarcastically before looking at the gun in her hand. Once the news had settled in, Apex had immediately gone to find Logan. This had been something he had been avoiding but before he took Greer out into the field he needed to know...how she handled a gun.

Greer took a deep breath, 'I'm going to be strong… I'm doing this for Colton… I'm doing this for myself.'

She had listened intently as Logan explained to her, in graphic detail…how to use the gun. Not to slow down an enemy like in the lectures he gave the senior team...he was teaching her how to seriously wound someone…he was teaching her how to kill.

Greer steeled herself through the exercise, she may not agree with any of this…but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and understand it. If this was going to be part of her life now, she damn well better get used to it.

"Ok Tigger, time to see how much you learned today." And Greer held her breath as Colton wheeled in a dummy target.

"I want you to identify the five most vulnerable places in a human body...and I want you to aim for them and take a shot for each of them. Can you do that for me ?" Greer nodded. She noted the constant growl in Logan's voice...likely having to do with how she had lied and cracked his wrists earlier...shew as not looking forward to what that earned her. 'Focus Greer...'

Raising the gun, she took her first two shots, the upper arm and thighs. If the bullets severed the femoral and bronchial arteries there…death from blood loss would happen in under half an hour. Greer pulled the trigger.

She could see Colton's scowl deepened. Those two shots were off...her hands had been shaking. Ignoring him, she aimed for the head. Slow is smooth...smooth is fast...She remembered when her dad had told her that...She really wish she hadn't thought of that...But this shot had been noticeably better than the first two.

"Last two… C'mon…" Greer pleaded with herself before steadying her arms. She visibly winced when she saw the bullet she shot tear through the gut of the target. She knew exactly how that felt. Greer was now beyond tempted to throw the weapon aside…She really didn't want to shoot the next bullet.

"You're too far into this… Just make the damn shot…" she berated to herself. "Strong… You have to be strong…" she chanted over and over in her head before finally firing.

The entire thing had happened in under ten seconds.

There was silence in the danger room before Logan reached over and took the gun from her, checking to make sure the chamber was empty.

"Starting was terrible but the last two ain't bad...Keep at it and maybe all your aims will be as perfect as the last one…" he mumbled.

Greer wasn't even really listening at this point, she was too busy looking at the perfect hole she made through the target's chest...Where a heart would have been.

The last time she had seen something like that was when she saw her dad lying on the pavement...blood all over his...No...No...She wasn't going to think about that right now.

She had successfully used a gun...Greer lowered her head. She had used a gun...

That had been the last training either Apex or Greer had done. Greer had been uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the evening until the two ferals were laying in the darkness of their room. Greer had maneuvered to her regular position of Colton's arms wrapped around her with her back to his chest.

"I'm not afraid." Greer suddenly whispered harshly, as if answering an unspoken question between them.

"I know that." Apex had known she wasn't falling asleep. He had just been waiting for her to say something.

"Do you? Do you really?" she had been feeling so confident until today with the gun. Now everything seemed a little bit more...real. Apex rolled so that he could see her but she just rolled further towards the mattress, effectively hiding her face. Apex rumbled low in his throat, before gently bringing his arms up a little further, hugging Greer's center instead of her waist.

"I do."

Greer didn't respond,but he could see how her ears proceeded to press flat against her hair...He hesitated for a moment, before finally reaching over and turning Greer over so she would face him. Or he tried to, but Greer only lowered her head, still blocking her face from his gaze. Apex facked his brain, almost regretting making her go through the shooting exercise. It genuinely surprised him that the simple act of pulling a trigger was the the thing that brought her down.

Apex felt his ears lower against his head, he wanted to get this message through to her...as clearly as she would do to him. He continued racking his brain before his tail twitched from the sudden revelation.

Greer looked up in surprise as Colton suddenly gently butted his head against hers, causing their eyes to lock while also prompting her to look at nothing else but the amber in front of her.

"I know you're not afraid." Colton said, and Greer could feel the reverberations emitting from his chest, her hand rubbing through his fur where she felt it.

"I know you're done running. That you're ready. To fight back. And I'm going to be with you every step of the way. We are going to do this together." And Greer could only stare blankly as Colton affectionately bumped his head against hers one more time before lying back down, a look of content on his muzzle.

Greer absorbed that for a minute, before curling into a tighter ball against Colton, her face finding its way to the crook of his neck. She rubbed her cheek against him.

"Together… " she agreed before gripping him tighter and finally allowing herself to sleep.

Greer woke up that morning as if she had already had two cups of coffee...and her nerves didn't get any better throughout the day. Apex refused to let her train and after watching her pace in the library for almost an hour, the tension radiating off of her, he had suggested they go to the woods. After all...it was where he went when he needed to relax.

But despite the calm and quite, Greer simply remained silent and tense. Eventually Apex had seen enough and had simply taken her hand and dragging her back to the Mansion, tossed her onto the bed and spent the remainder of the day slowly tracing his claws through her seemed to be about the only thing that could get her to relax.

The two ate dinner together, Logan actually joining them for once. They didn't say anything but Greer appreciated it all the same. Before they headed upstairs, Jean gave her a strange look when she ran over and hugged her tightly, but returned it with a shrug. "Goodnight to you too..." Greer had laughed with her.

While most of the day had seemed to be whipping by Greer at record pace, once night had fallen, it seemed each hour took an eternity. But once Apex was certain the lights facing the rear of the Mansion were out, he had given Greer a nod and the two had silently dropped from the window.

...

Greer tried to keep her calm as she ran behind Colton, following him carefully as they bolted through the trees. She may have been the faster of the two, but he knew the woods better...and how to maneuver himself through them without so much as a sound. She on the other hand was still tripping on the occasional branch...silently cursing each time. They had followed the same path Greer had the first time she had went out looking for Colton, except this time Greer didn't stop when she reached the boundary. She was barely able to skid herself to a halt when Colton abruptly stopped about ten miles from the Mansion.

"Over there…" he rumbled before bringing himself to full height and confidently striding towards what appeared to be a rotting cabin, barely larger than the living room at the Mansion. Greer bit her lip and did her best to try and do the same.

"What was this place?" Greer could hardly believe this was supposed to be where Colton would disappear to.

"SHIELD observation node." Apex muttered as they reached the door.

"You've got to be kidding." Greer was certain this was going to be a vast disappointment, but watched carefully as Colton pulled aside a false section of the exterior near the door, punching in a code as the door silently popped open. Eyebrow raised, Greer followed close behind as instead of walking into the dilapidated shake she was expecting, instead found herself walking down a flight of metal stairs.

"Is SHIELD still..." Greer was worried what they'd find at the bottom of the stairs. Not to mention SHIELD being this close to the Mansion made her uneasy. She doubted Professor Xavier knew.

"Don't worry about SHIELD. I...acquired it from them some time ago." Greer chose to not ask how Colton 'acquired' anything, taking the hint that he had discovered it and promptly kicked SHIELD out.

Punching in yet another code, Apex held the door open as Greer found herself in a surprisingly spartan bunker. She saw a few openings that led to adjacent rooms but the majority of the space was taken up by one large, central space. One wall held a number of pictures and other documents...Greer saw that a few had 'X's drawn on them. Another wall held a wide array of weaponry...guns, rifles, knives, explosives...Greer couldn't help but think Logan would be a little jealous.

But Greer's curiosity was stalled as a voice called out from one of the rooms. She hesitated until Apex simply let out a brief growl and headed towards the voice, Greer closely on his tail.

"Good evening Apex, Ms. Apex…" Greer felt her lip curl upon seeing who was there waiting for the two of them…not Fury, not even a the infamous Russian herself, smiling coyly from behind a desk…

"Domino…" Apex rumbled in greeting. Greer didn't bother…She hadn't liked how Natasha had eyed her…and she especially didn't like how Domino was was eying Colton. That and her extensive history in regards to Logan was enough for Greer to instantly dislike her. The fact she was cleaning a rather large rifle was another.

"Miss Nelson, are you alright? You don't seem happy to see me…" the aptly-named assassin for hire suddenly asked, walking out from behind the desk, tablet and what seemed to be a box and equipment in hand. Greer just growled low in her throat, ears flat to her head.

"What are you doing here?" Apex knew of Domino...but her sudden appearance was unexpected. That and Greer's obvious aggression towards her had him wanting information. Fury had never sent anyone to this place before...

"Oh...you know...when the Director of SHIELD calls and asks you to babysit his cats, a girl just says yes." Domino tilted her head to the side, a smile on her face.

"And how much is he paying you?" Greer hissed.

"Enough...but we're not here to discuss my bank account. You two have quite the evening planned."

"Let's just get this over with." Greer said coldly. Domino's smiled remained but Greer could see how it had narrowed ever so slightly.

"All business and no play...fine. But first some basic stuff to get out of the way…" Greer barely caught the box Domino had flung towards her.

"You have to go get changed while I brief Apex more clearly on what he can and cannot do," Domino smiled up at him, "cause you have been a very bad kitty."

Greer allowed her growl to be more audible this time...she didn't appreciate her tone of voice.

"Whats wrong with my uniform?" she argued. Over the years, she actually had come to grow fond of her X Men attire. It had become her second skin...Wearing anything else on a mission just seemed...wrong.

"There's nothing wrong with it at all...assuming you stopped caring about style and enjoy getting shot at." Domino shrugged as Greer took a step towards this oddly infuriating little woman...Apex reached out to block her.

"No need to get pissy. Box comes from Fury and it wasn't a gift. It was an order," she pointed to the far corner of the safe house.

"Changing rooms are over there and if you will excuse us, I have important matters to discuss with Apex." And Greer could only watch as both Domino and Colton turned their backs to her and started talking in hushed tones over the tablet.

Practically fuming, Greer stalked towards the changing rooms. Little more than a few lockers, a sink and a dirty mirror. The turn into the small space was her only privacy so she could change without being seen. Ripping the tape off the box, she apprehensively reached into it to pull out her new attire. Greer bared her teeth.

"You have got to be kidding me…"

Inside, what seemed to be a full body black catsuit lay waiting for her. Upon picking it up, she saw that it wasn't quite long enough...meaning it would leave her feet bare like Colton, and taking a closer look at it, Greer noticed the difference in material as compared to her old uniform. This one was made out of a stronger synthetic fiber, probably some type of Kevlar-weave…so it was bulletproof...God that thought was daunting.

The uniform also had more armor plates of a darker black...specifically around the chest, elbow and knee area. A lighter grey strip traveled down the middle of the suit, also covering the inside of the thigh and arm areas and of course...Greer rolled her eyes. Fangs...Black fangs of various sizes decorated the area around the collar, wrists, calf and waist...'How original'...With a sigh, Greer started to shrug out of her uniform.

"Happy now?" Apex was just finishing strapping on his own body armor and weaponry and froze, his eyes widening as Greer made her appearance. As she thought, the bodysuit left her feet bare, the material slipping under her foot and leaving her heel and toes exposed. Her arms were completely covered, leaving the appearance of fingerless gloves on her hands. The uniform was slightly heavier than she had expected and it was tight...so very very tight. Greer swore this thing showed off more of her with it on then with it off. Apex however was caught off guard at this change in appearance and just stood staring for a few more seconds, his ears perked forwards, hands slack at his sides.

"I look like an idiot...don't I?" Greer took Colton's look as a condemnation but her comment got him to shake his head and regain some composure.

"You look like you could almost pass for competent," Domino came around a corner, giving Greer a once over, "all you need now is the right accessory." Greer caught the gun Domino tossed from the wall with a growl and without looking at Colton, whom she knew was watching, silently placed it in her thigh holster.

Fifteen minutes later, Domino and the two ferals walked to a helicopter parked in a nearby clearing. As they Greer headed over, she couldn't help but notice how much her uniform resembled Domino's. Minus the fangs of course…but still uncomfortably similar. The assassin seemed to notice this as well as she leaned over to the uncomfortable tigress.

"Like the new look. You almost look like...me. Did your partner say anything about that?" she cooed in a sickening voice.

Greer let out a hiss.

"You stay the hell away from him…"

"What can I say...I got a kink for the fuzzy ." Domino said with a smirk as Greer stepped into the helicopter with a shudder and quickly strapped herself into the seat next to Colton.

Domino loaded her gun in the body of the chopper and slipped into the pilot seat. A few pushed buttons later and Greer found herself zipping above the tree line. She glanced over at Apex and saw that he had his eyes closed...he actually looked relaxed...or at least more relaxed then she normally saw him. Greer took the moment to glance down at herself again...taking note of the gun strapped to her. Taking a deep breath Greer attempted to go through some of the exercises Logan had taught her.

She wanted to be calm. She wanted to be ready. This was what she wanted.

It was time she fought back.