pippo23: Well thanks for the kind words and support, unfortunately I have no clue as to how people actually read my work unless they review. And if you think this is something, try reading all of Red Witch's work, she's got like 400 and counting.

Ruby631: lol, loved that bit you had in the review. Not sure if I could fit that in since I passed it, maybe in a flash back or something.

Sparky Genocide: I don't really like Gambit, besides I had this great story for him and I needed him to leave for it, plus the fight wasn't exactly near fatal, just temporary blinded from the fragments, believe me Gambit was in more trouble in that fight if he wasn't blinded.

The Uncanny R-Man: Glad you liked it, and yeah Scott won't exactly like that little talk, but then what guy would?

slickboy444: Thanks, it took a little time for me to figure out exactly how to pull it off, I wanted a really serious and emotional talk with those three. The Jean and Rogue one was also serious but less so then the other to help lighten it a bit.

Red Witch: Expelled on the first day? Well maybe a student or two might have to home schooled but we'll just have to see when they go to school.

Scott Fan: I see your points, but first I just had an idea for an OC I had to get out, personally I do have better ones, Gambit was a jerk in the series (at lest to me he was), I didn't chose to pair that OC up with Rogue, I left that to a vote to the readers, twice and he won out both times so don't blame me for that, and it was my first try at a triangle so sorry to disappoint. It seems you really don't like this fic so I got to ask...why are you still reading?

Xmenfan: Sorry Remy's gone remember? I had to end the triangle there. Plus don't forget this is 6th in a series don't forget to look at the earlier works too and don't forget I held a vote on who Rogue would chose earlier remember? Well Gambit lost the vote, sorry no Romy anymore. Glad you like the two 'talks' scenes, and you will see Wanda on a mission soon.

Ldypebsaby: Well I wanted a serious yet slightly a little more light hearted one, and besides after that first one with Wanda, Ororo and Blink I just couldn't top it.

Thanks to: DemonRogue13

ADJUSTMENTS

CHAPTER 20: NIGHTMARES

She was floating.

That was what she was feeling she slowly opened her eyes but everything had a green tint to it and the outside was warped slightly. She realized it was glass not far from her face. Her hands itched, and now so did her feet.

She tried to move but her muscles seemed tired to her and unable to move. 'Where am I? What's going on? Why am I here, what's going on?' She was on the verge of panicking. Then the itching sensation suddenly became a burning one. Her hands and feet felt like fire, she tried to cry out but realized she had something over her mouth feeding her air and her cries were muffled.

'It hurts, somebody stop this! Please!' She tried the trash but her body wouldn't move. The pain seemed to increase as the burning got hotter and seemed to travel up her arms and to the back of her heels. She gave another muffled cry. 'PLEASE STOP!' She silently said in her mind. She would have cried but the liquid she was floating in seemed to absorb her tears.

Then the burning seemed to cool and the itching was back only now a tingling was there too. Then it happened.

A sharp pain ripped through her hands and feet. She screamed as it happened as her flesh was cut and torn away. Her back arched and her head actually flung back as her body actually trembled slightly from the pain of it.

She managed to move her head slightly down and has raised her arms slightly she looked at her bandaged hands and was surprised and horrified by seeing two metallic blades coming out of her hands. 'What am I? WHAT DID THEY DO TO ME?'

She cried out in the darkness unleashing her hand claws ready to attack, her body covered in sweet. A figure loomed over her and she reacted by pure instinct. Tackling the shadowy figure to the ground ready to strike.

"OW! SARAH STOP!" Said a familiar voice causing her to stop and she blinked and looked closely in the darkness. "It's me...Paige."

Sarah was surprised by this and then she felt something on her hand and caught a sent. It was blood. Paige's blood. "Oh no." Sarah whispered. She got up and quickly fumbled for the lamp near by and flicked it on. She looked at to her horror Paige was holding her arm as it was bleeding.

"I'm sorry I'm so sorry, I-I didn't, I thought you were-I have to stop the bleeding!" Sarah frantically tore some of her sheets and began to wrap it around Paige's arm. The door to their room opened at that moment and Jubilee and Rahne still in their sleep wear and with slightly messed up bed hair walked in.

"Guys what is going on in here, it the middle of the-OH MY GOD PAIGE!" Jubilee scrambled to the young blond girl.

Rahne was right on her heels and turned to Sarah. "Sarah what happened?" The young Scott asked.

"I-I-I didn't mean to, it was an accident." Sarah said to the red head.

"What do ye mean? What happened?" Rahne asked moving closer to the distressed girl. Sarah couldn't stand it any more and she bolted from the room. She didn't know what to do, all she knew was that she had hurt the first friend she ever had and worse was that she could have killed her. She raced down the halls ignoring others as they emerged from their rooms and their questions. She ran to the front door and outside.

Her mind was frantic and she just had to get away. She saw the woods and ran towards it. Nothing really registered in her mind as she thought back to how Paige looked with the two cuts and the blood. She didn't notice how it had started to rain or how her bare feet started to step in wet grass then mud as the rainwater seeped into the ground.

She wasn't sure why she was running only that she had to get away. She came to a running stop somewhere in the wooded area. She pushed away her long hair that was in her face as she walked on not caring that she was getting soaked and her feet and the bottom of her cotton pants getting muddy from the ground.

At one point she just dropped to her knees as the voices of her past came back to haunt her.

She's just a weapon, she has no feelings, she was made to do one thing and one thing only...TO KILL!

Was that all she was? Just a weapon? She didn't want to be that, she didn't want to kill, she was done with that part of her life after she took out the HYDRA Commander. HYRDA wasn't after her anymore, she thought she was free of them...but she wasn't...after everything they had done to her she would never be totally free of them.

She didn't want to be a weapon to kill, she didn't want to be that but tonight she nearly killed her best friend. She bound her fist into the soft fresh mud in anger at herself. She threw back her head and gave an anguish cry of pain and rage into the stormy night.

She took out her claws and looked at them with contempt. They were her best weapons and yet she hated them too, they were a symbol of what was don't to her.

She's just a weapon, she has no feelings

Was that true? Did she feel anything? Was she even human? She was born in a lab did that make her even a living being? She saw her claws in the flash of lighting and she could still smell Paige's blood on her. Was she a living person? Did a person nearly kill their friend like she did?

Does she really feel any pain? With a shaking hand she raised one of her claws and began to cut her other arm slightly seeing the wounds and felt the pain. 'I can feel pain...so why can't I feel anything else?'

It just seemed that most of her life was filled with pain. She stopped cutting herself and noticed the blood stopped flowing and soon the cuts healed over.

"WHAT-AM-I?" She screamed into the night through the rain and sounds of thunder and wind. Images and memories of the labs, the 'training' of the conditioning she had to endure. All her life flashed before her, all the cruelty, the loneliness and all the pain.

Then all she felt was her rage. Her anger at what was done to her, all the hatred she held for HYRDA, and even herself for what she had nearly done earlier. She exploded then, all the claws out and she attacked anything around her.

Trees, rocks, fallen logs, she didn't care she just wanted to take out her rage and pain out on something, anything. She just attacked blindly not caring what it was she just kept going until without know it something blocked her claws. Through instinct and training she focused on what ever it was and attacked again with her other hand but that too was blocked.

She was so confused and lost in her own world of pain and anguish she didn't notice that it was another pair of adamantium claws that were blocking hers, but she was just going on instinct now. All she knew was that this was something to focus her pain on.

After a minute something grabbed her wrists. "Kid snap out of it!" She was sure the voice was familiar and she stopped and looked up. In the flash of a lightning bolt she saw it was Logan. She stopped her attacks then and she started to relax slightly and retracted her claws.

She looked away from him unable to look into his eyes. Logan gently let go of her wrists and then put them on her shoulders. "It's going to be alright."

"No! I-I hurt her, she-she could have been killed." She choked out her voice cracking slightly as a wave of remorse and sadness started to replace the pain and anger. "I could have killed my friend." She said sadly fighting back the tears being thankful for the rain falling that would hide any tears that fell from her face.

Logan could relate to the kid. He too had had nightmares of the past that had caused him to lose his delicate control over his more aggressive side. He brought her close and held her. "It's going to be alright kid, she's going to be fine and so are you." He said softly to her.

All her life she had lived without anyone caring for her. She never had someone be kind to her, to show her affection...or to love her. But every time this man held her she felt warm and safe in his arms. She could feel how he cared for her like she was truly his daughter and not just some clone. She couldn't stop it any more, the emotions had swelled up inside of her and she broke down crying.

She couldn't help it. Even after what she had done he was willing to forgive her and he still accepted her. Logan felt both sadness and anger. Sadness at what was done to this kid and anger at those that did it, he knew that if she hadn't take out those responsible he would have at that moment. Then he tilted his head as Xavier contacted him and after what he said Logan smiled slightly.

"Well it seems your friend is just fine." He said soothing to her, her crying lessened as she tried to pay attention to his words. "Turns out they didn't even to need to use Gale's powers. Paige's skin ripped and it turns out the skin underneath wasn't injured so all they had to do was just rip off the damaged outer layer and she was just fine. I guess she can heal faster then us."

Sarah felt a lot better that Paige was all right, but how could she face her and the others after that.

"She also sent a message to ya." Logan said. "It was just an accident, I don't blame you."

Sarah felt a lot better on hearing that she was fine, but she didn't know if she could still face the girl, not after what had happened.

"Come on let's get you back, you're going to catch a cold or something out here." Logan said softly to her.

"I don't get sick." She said nearly a whisper but his hearing picked it up anyways.

"Hey it's a father's duty to worry about their kid so indulge me." He said with a small grin trying to make light of the situation. Sarah gave a small but it didn't last long as she leaned against his shoulder on the walk back. With the adrenaline gone from her system her whole body was now tired. It was still late in the night and she didn't get a decent sleep. Plus the running and venting herself left her physically and emotionally drained too.

By the time they got back to the front entrance she moved her damp hair away and saw Ororo in a bathrobe there with towels. Logan smiled seeing her there ready for them. She smiled and handed them the towels to dry off. "Thanks Ro." Logan said to her.

She smiled and nodded to him. "I thought you two would need these."

Logan had to admit Ororo was always the 'mother' type. "So where's little hayseed?" He asked referring to Paige.

"She's in the medical ward right now. Hank wanted to make sure her powers had completely healed her body since this is something unforeseen that she could do." Then Ororo turned to Sarah. "But she seemed find and was worried about you."

Sarah looked surprised at that. She still couldn't believe that after that Paige was actually WORRIED about her. "C-can I see her?" She asked the taller lady.

Storm frowned a little. "Sorry, Hank wants her to rest up since it's late...but you can in the morning." Sarah nodded in understanding and started to walk to bed but halfway up the stairs she felt tired and had to grab the railing as her head swam a little from exhaustion.

Logan was next to her quickly and helped her up. "I'm fine." Sarah nearly hissed out at him. She hated being weak and depending of others at times.

"Bull, you're barely standing." Logan said sternly and then he picked her up into his arms.

"Put me down." She said with a little more force in her words.

Logan only grinned. "Well if you think you can take me then try it, if not then I'm carrying you up to your room cause you can barely stand as it is." She didn't like being treated like a kid but even if she wouldn't admit it, she was tired and at the moment she really wanted to get some rest.

On the way Sarah stopped feeling embarrassed by her being carried and for some reason she relaxed. She felt safe in his arms and it was a strange sensation. She felt all warm and comfortable in his arms. Ever since she was a child she wanted to be held and cared for but she never was, this was the first time someone had held her like this and she was actually enjoying it.

She felt so warm, comfortable and safe. It was strange yet pleasant to her. She closed her eyes enjoying the sensations and silently slipped off to sleep as Logan got to her room. He noticed that she was asleep and couldn't help but smile down at her.

He gently laid her down on her bed and realized that those sheets would have to be cleaned the next day from the mud still on her clothing but he figured she could clean up in the morning. He sat down next to her on the bed looked down at his daughter. It was strange for him to think of himself as a parent but here he was.

He brushed the hair away from her face and gently stroked her cheek. She was a beautiful girl and he was glad she didn't get his looks, but he could see a little of himself in her slightly, especially in her eyes. He sighed to himself watching her sleep.

"Is she alright?" A silent voice asked him. He turned to see Ororo walking in and stopped next to him.

Logan sighed. "I just don't know...the kid's been through so much in her short life, she didn't deserve to grow up like that...no one does."

Ororo slowly nodded her head. "Yes...the world can be a cruel place at times, even to children." She looked on watching Logan look over her and couldn't help but smirk. "I always knew that you had a big heart inside that tough exterior."

Logan snorted at her words, but couldn't help a small smile. "Just don't go spreading that around, I got a reputation to keep. You know...I have no idea what I'm doing...I mean I got no experience being a parent and here I am with a teenaged daughter already...I tell you Ro...I'm not sure if I'm up to it."

Ororo placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you're doing just fine, better then fine actually. No one is truly ready for this kind of reasonability. You can only do your best but so far I think you're doing great."

Logan smiled at her kind words and her faith in his abilities. "Yeah well, you're doing well by Clarice too."

Ororo sighed. "I just wish I don't fail her like I did with Evan." She said sadly going to the large window looking out into the raining night beyond it. Logan walked up behind her and placed his hands on he shoulders gently.

"You did your best for that kid, he was difficult from the get go, head strong, stubborn and impatient. We all did our best with him, especially you because you were family, but he made his own choices."

Ororo was grateful for his words, but she still felt she could have done something different and maybe he wouldn't have left like he did. "Thank you Logan, I think I'll get some sleep." Ororo told him and started to walk out but stopped as she saw Logan sit down on the bed across from Sarah. "Are you staying?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, I just want to watch over her for a while, just in case she needs someone ya know?" He said refereeing to if she had anymore nightmares.

Ororo smiled at him sitting there watching protectively over her. 'You're a better father then you think Logan.' She thought to herself before retiring for the night.

NEXT UP CHAPTER 21: THE NEW TEAMS

The X-Men meet a team under Fury and SHEILD...X-Force, and introducing the Hellions. Oh and this version of X-Force will have a different line-up then what was in the comics.