**Memories**

The next morning Logan went to the infirmary early.  It was barely dawn, and the mansion was quiet.  He was surprised to find her bed empty.  A knot caught in his stomach.  She didn't just disappear again, did she?  He caught her scent and tracked her through the house.  He found her in the kitchen, dressed in a set of X-men sweats, and eating cereal. 

"I didn't think you'd be up so early.  Finding your way around?"  Logan asked as he grabbed a bowl and sat down across from her.

She smiled at him.

"What do you want to do today?  How about I take you for a walk?  The grounds are real pretty." Logan was studying her, trying to decipher her thoughts from her expressions.

She looked thoughtful, like she was trying to remember something, then she smiled and nodded.

"Good.  We'll go after we finish breakfast."  Logan wanted to get her alone, away from all those new faces.  She needed some peace and quiet to relax and remember.  "Did Hank say you could go, or did you just sneak out of the infirmary?" Logan asked as he took a bite of cereal.

She smiled, and laughed.  His head shot up to look at her.  She hadn't laughed out loud, but he heard her.  "Are you laughing at me Violet?" he asked softly.

She smiled shyly and nodded, but he distinctly heard a voice in his head saying, yes.

"Violet, I can hear you," he said reaching across the table for her hand.  "Please talk to me."  Logan was overwhelmed with emotion.  The professor couldn't get her to talk, and he was a very powerful telepath.  And here he was, the one person you would never expect, listening to her in his head.  Her voice was sweet.  He waited for her to talk to him again.

She looked apprehensive, I didn't know I could even do this. Please don't tell.  She hadn't tried to communicate in so long; she surprised herself with this newfound ability.  Talking had been something to avoid, but she felt safe talking to Logan.  She trusted him.

 "I won't tell.  I'm glad you want to talk to me," Logan said feeling ecstatic.  He got up the courage to ask her again, "What's your name?"

She blushed, 'Danielle ...but I can't remember my last name.'

"That's okay, darlin', I don't remember a lot of things.  But I know what's important, and that's yer friends.  Danielle, you're my friend. You'll always be safe and you'll never be alone here," Logan called her by her real name, and it felt good to know something about her no one else did. 

They put their bowls in the sink and slipped out the back.  Logan led the way down a path through the woods behind the mansion.  They walked in silence for a while, but Logan didn't mind.  Danielle was a rare woman.  She was a delicate creature, soft and gentle and giving.  He ached to hold her and keep her safe.  He was just about coming out of his skin being this close to her.  Her scent was having a strong effect on him.  The first time he smelled her in the lab he had noticed it too.  There was a definite chemical attraction.  He imprinted her scent in his mind.  He took her hand to help her over a steep part of the path.  Her touch seemed to be charged with electricity.  He felt a tingle of excitement, and relished it.  He had a nearly overwhelming desire to kiss her, but her question broke the spell.

Logan, why did you help me?  she asked him.

"Because you were there, and you needed help.  Why did you save Jean?" 

She thought for a moment, she needed help, and I knew I could help her. 

"We have a lot in common, Dani."  Logan showed her a small clearing full of wild flowers.

Logan, it's beautiful!  She smiled, let go of his hand, and ran to pick a few.

"Beautiful," Logan repeated, but wasn't talking about the flowers. 

She sat in a patch of morning sunshine and Logan sat beside her.  She was arranging her flowers in a bunch and started humming.  Logan's ears perked up.  He couldn't recognize the melody, but it was definitely not in his head.  He watched her closely.  Then she abruptly stopped and looked confused.  She dropped the flowers and looked at him.  That silence seemed like an eternity to him.

"Lo-gan," She spoke, and her first word was his name. Logan felt a lump in his throat.  It sounded a little shaky, but she was finally there.  She turned stark white, and he knew she was going to be sick.   "I ...I... remember, Lo-gan, I… remember!" she said, vanishing before he could react.  She reappeared twenty feet away, by some trees, and started vomiting. 

"Dani!" He ran to her and held her hair back.  She was weeping violently.  He was kneeling beside her with his arm around her.  Logan was at a loss for what to do now.  It was just as Chuck had said, shock.  Something had happened to her, and she hadn't let herself deal with it until now.

She was pale, and still sobbing.  He looked into her eyes, but she was far away with her new found memories. He scooped her up and started walking back to the mansion.  She abruptly stopped crying, and Logan stopped to look at her.  He had a very bad feeling. 

"I need to go home, I have to see it," She said softly, in a tone that meant she was going, with or without him.

"Yer not goin' anywhere without me, Dani," Logan said firmly, looking right into her eyes. His expression was stern, but there was a lot of emotion in those eyes. 

She didn't want company.  She wasn't sure she could find it anymore.  She had been fifteen when they took her, but Logan was obviously determined.  "Fine. Just remember you asked for it."

Transporting with her wasn't what he expected.  Logan felt all warm and saw the glow around them.  Then the shower of purple lights, and his surroundings changed, and he was standing on a path in a forest.  It was an old growth forest, with massive redwood trees.  He liked it instantly.  He was still holding her cradled against his chest, and he liked that too.  She was light, and he liked the feel of her body cradled against him.  He closed his eyes and drank in the scents of the forest, and her.  He had already memorized her scent, but he felt as though he could never get enough.  Dani, what have you done to me?

"You can put me down now, I'm okay."

"Where's your house?" Logan asked as he set her down.

Dani answered by started down the path.  She was increasing her pace with every step until she was nearly running.  Logan easily kept up with her, but realized she was still barefoot.  She never seemed to notice.  She knew the area very well, jumping over tree roots before he even saw them.  She came to a clearing and stopped dead.  There was a cabin there, all right.  It was a charred shell.  It had been a very nice home at one time, but everything was gone. 

"So it's true. They didn't lie to me."  She had a knot in her throat, and she couldn't hold back the tears.  "Logan, I wish you had left me there to die.  It would have been kinder." 

"No, Dani, You don't mean that," Logan said, turning her to face him. He saw the tears streaming down her face, and wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry. 

Danielle couldn't remember the last time that anyone had made her feel so safe.  He just held her, and she was sincerely comforted.  Her tears were soaking his T-shirt, but he didn't seem to care.  They stood there for a while until she quieted down.  He just kept holding her.  Logan didn't ask stupid questions, didn't offer any cliché phrases, and didn't try to tell her everything was going to be okay.  She really appreciated that because it was the last thing she needed.

"I can't remember her face.  I keep trying, but I can't remember," she sobbed.

"Your mother?" Logan asked.  He felt sick as he connected the dots on the story.  They probably came to take Dani, and burned the house down with her family in it. 

"What am I going to do now?" she asked dejectedly, pulling away from him. She started walking back the way they had come.  She was devastated, and Logan knew it had nothing to do with that shell of a house.  She lost more than her family.  She lost her innocence. 

"Come back to the school with me.  The professor wants you to stay.  I want you to stay," Logan put enough feeling behind the word 'I' that there could be no mistaking his meaning.

"But what would I do there?" she asked.  "I'm not a poor teenager who needs rescuing.  I'm not a superhero like you and the others. And I am not a charity case! I could disappear right now, and take perfect care of myself," she added strongly.  Logan liked her independence.

"I don't know about you, but it seems to me that transporting yourself halfway around the globe is pretty amazing," he said with a smirk.  "Saving Jean from a sudden flood and healing her is heroic.  Do I need to go on here?" Logan added.  She needed a boost in self-confidence.

"I'm a stranger to them, why would they want me, or trust me?" She was still unsure.

"Our friend Jean is alive because of you.  But that's not why.  Xavier has a gift for reading people.  He thinks you are a great person.  Your powers are amazing, but he was looking at who you are, not what you can do.  He wants you on our team.  He trusts you," Logan said.  He wanted to say more, but she already seemed to be warming up to the idea.

"Just what do you do, anyway?  Are you just a bunch of cowboys, flying into town, rescuing people, and then flying off into the sunset?" she asked humorously.  He could feel the change in her.  She'd already decided to stay, he just knew it.

"Sometimes," he laughed, "Why don't you take us back and I'll give you the grand tour?" Logan asked, trying to contain his excitement.  She was leaning against a redwood, looking thoughtful.

"Logan, have you ever seen the view from a really good tree?"  She asked mischievously, as she looked up at the redwood towering above them.

He got a knot in his stomach.  He didn't think he was going to like this. "Now wait just a minute, Dani!"

She smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him along on that marvelous journey.  When they materialized, it was in a large oak tree on the Xavier estate grounds.  He looked at her, surprised, and she was laughing.  Not a small giggle, but a genuine, full-hearted laugh.  It was like music.  After everything else that happened to her, she could still laugh.  Incredible.

"Okay, what gives?" he asked with an eyebrow cocked at her.

"Oh, I had you.  Hook, line, and sinker..." she said between laughs.

Logan couldn't help but laugh too.  It was contagious.  "Yeah, Dani, you had me," he admitted, chuckling.

Logan, Violet, I'd like to see you both in my study. Xavier knew they had been gone.  Uh-oh.

"Did I just get us in trouble?" Danielle asked seriously.

"Don't know," he said, "can you get us down?" She answered by grabbing his hand and transporting them to the couch in Xavier's office.

"Ah, Logan, and..." Xavier paused and waited for the introduction.

"Danielle," Logan offered.

"It's so nice to finally meet you properly, Danielle.  How was your little field trip this morning?"  Xavier asked with a cocked brow.  He was not actually angry, just annoyed that they left without consulting him.

"It was... unpleasant, but enlightening," Dani said, without emotion.

She sounded callous at first, but she was putting up a brave front.  Logan was completely in tune to her, reading her scent like book. Her pulse was fast, and she was nervous and fidgety.  She was upset, but hiding it.  He suspected ol' Chuck knew it too.

"Look, I know you want to help me.  But I need a little time to sort these memories out.  I promise there will be no more field trips without talking to you first," Danielle said defensively.

 "I understand, Danielle.  It's hard to process so much in such a short time.  Logan will show you to your room so you can get some rest.  We'll talk later, when you're ready," Xavier said, smiling at her warmly. 

Dani knew he wasn't angry, just concerned.  She liked the professor.  She knew he could read her mind, but he didn't pry.  She respected that.  "Thank you, professor, for understanding," she said as Logan took her hand and led her out of the office.

"There's an open room next to mine, if that's okay with you," Logan said. 

He wanted to keep her close.  He liked the thought of having her right next door.  He showed her around a little on the way, but didn't release her hand.  She didn't try to let go either.  He relished casual intimacy of that contact.  When they reached her door, she released his hand. 

"My room is over there if you need anything," Logan said, pointing as she opened the door.

"Thanks, Logan. I don't know how I would have made it through today without you," Dani said, standing on her toes.  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  "See you later."

She blushed slightly, smiled at him and closed the door.  Logan was surprised.  He reached up and touched his cheek where her lips had just been.  He felt like a boy with a crush, all giddy inside.  He let a brilliant smile cross his face. Then Logan realized he was in the middle of the hallway, right in front of her door.  He quickly wiped the smile away and cleared his throat.  He looked around to see if anyone was there.  He sniffed the air a bit, and decided he was safe.  He went to his room, and closed the door.

*****

All Dani wanted was a long hot shower to scrub away the lab.  She looked around the room.  It was very elegant, and roomy.  She opened the closet and was surprised to find it stocked with a modest wardrobe in her size, complete with undergarments and pajamas.  Dani smiled, I wonder who figured out my size?  She grabbed a change of clothes and got into the shower.  It was like heaven.  A shower and a nap.  Perfect.

Logan was laying on his bed, listening to every move she made. She must have been in the shower for an hour.  He imagined she felt better.  He wondered what she was thinking, now that all those memories came back.  He really wanted to know what happened to her at that cabin.  He wanted to know what happened to her at Alkali Lake.  She was keeping a lot inside and he wanted to help her. 

Logan could hear her lie down, and knew the moment she fell asleep.  Her breathing was soft, deep and steady.  He liked the sound of it.  He relaxed and started to drift off to sleep, but was startled awake by the faintest sound.  Dani moaned softly.  He instantly sat up and listened.  She started thrashing about, and whimpering.  Her nightmare was back, and he couldn't take it another second.  He ran to her room.  He quietly opened her door and walked over to the bed.  He knew you had to be careful how you wake some people, especially mutants.  Logan sat beside her and held her hand.  He was going to say something, but the room seemed to spin around his head, and he felt like he was falling through space.  He was like a skydiver in freefall, arms and legs stretched wide for stability.  He looked around, looking into the darkness and stars all around him.  Then his velocity slowed, and he could see colors.  He watched the greens and browns swirling and taking shape. 

He suddenly stopped falling, and was standing in the forest, near her cabin.  Logan heard the screaming, and he went cold with fury.  Somehow he was in her dream, and it was horrible.  He smelled the fire, and ran to it.  The cabin was already engulfed, and he could hear a woman screaming as she slowly burned to death.  Then suddenly the screaming stopped.  He watched the house go up, and heard the helicopter overhead.  He knew Dani was in there. 

Suddenly he found himself in the lab at Alkali Lake.  It was so real, sights, sounds, scents, every detail.  He saw the scientists bring two patients into the room.  One was a young man, wide-awake and strapped to a stretcher.  They lowered him into that tank of liquid.  The other was Dani. Logan realized that no one could see him, he was just watching, and he wished he could make her wake up.  She was strapped down on a gurney, and had an IV in her arm keeping her only semiconscious.  She was quite a bit younger, maybe fifteen.  They started operating on the young man, but it was obvious, the guy was not a self-healer like he and Dani were.  He got the biggest lump in his throat when he realized what was going to happen, what probably happened to her over and over.  They forced her to heal their subjects.  He closed his eyes.  He couldn't believe it.  When she started screaming, his eyes snapped open and he ran to her.  They had held her hand over the man in the tank and the wounds on his legs were closing, but her own legs were splitting open and bleeding.  He had to make her wake up. 

"Dani! Dani, wake up! It's not real, you're dreaming!"  He was shaking her, and she looked at him strangely.  She seemed lost, but then she recognized him.

"Logan?  What are you doing here?"  A sudden rush of wind and light swirled around them and they were both back in her room.  He was right where he had been, on the bed beside her, holding her hand.  She was trembling and covered in sweat.  She sat up, never taking her eyes from his.  He didn't move, didn't dare breath.  She leaned her head against his chest and hugged him.  He rested his head on hers and hugged her close.  She was sobbing.

The door behind him opened and Jean and Scott were there.  "We heard a scream," Scott said softly.

"Bad dream," Logan said and then gave them a look that told them to get lost.  They discreetly left, closing the door.

She was still crying, but calmed down and stopped shaking.

"Dani, I had no idea.  How did you ever survive that?" Logan's voice was shaky and full of emotion.

"I have a healing factor, Logan.  I survived because I had no choice," she said sarcastically.  "I don't know what they wanted from me, it wasn't just my healing," she said angrily.  She could still remember the pain.

"Just how many gifts do you have, Dani?" Logan asked, concerned.  If Stryker had known she was powerful, maybe someone else did.  She could be a target.

"I don't think of it as separate gifts. I just know what I can do.  Sometimes it surprises me though.  I've been hiding it for a long time, because they were always watching." Dani was still holding him, and he wasn't letting go either.

"You don't have to hide who you are here.  Everyone here is different, we all understand.  We even admire each other for the gifts we each have.  We're all friends, and we respect each other.  We'd all do anything for each other.  I'd do anything for you, Dani," Logan said, blushing. 

"Logan... I'm hungry," Dani said, changing the subject. It was getting too personal in here.

"In a minute, Dani," Logan interrupted.  Changing the subject wasn't going to work on him. "Tell me about what just happened to us.  How did you do that?"  Logan had put a little distance between them and lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye.

"I don't know.  That has never happened to me before.  I'm sorry you had to see that.  I know it wasn't pretty," Danielle was ashamed.  He had seen her vulnerable, filleted like a fish, and screaming like a baby.  He looked at her, even as she tried to look away.

"Don't do that," Logan said.

"Do what?"

"Look away from me like that.  You have no reason to be ashamed.  Your nightmare was scarier than mine.  You think I don't wake up screaming?" He asked as he looked into those violet eyes.

"How did you know what I was thinking?  Do you read minds?" She asked, puzzled.

"No darlin'," he chuckled, "I just know the feeling, and I could tell from your eyes," Logan's smile faded as he turned serious.    "Don't ever think you need to hide from me.  Don't you know how I feel about you?"  Logan said, testing the waters gently.

She looked into his eyes with the same intensity she had when they first met.  He felt goosebumps on the back of his neck.  What was it about those eyes?  She leaned back to look at his face.  She studied him for several minutes, and he didn't dare speak. Just as he thought about kissing her, she threw off her blanket to get up and said nonchalantly, "I imagine it's about the same way I feel about you..."

Oh, great.  There's a specific answer.  "And how is that?"  He cocked a brow playfully. 

"Well if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you," she said, brushing the tangles from her hair while he watched.  He loved that wild mane of curls.  She washed her face and started for the door.  "I'm going to go make a sandwich, how about you?"

"I'm with ya, darlin', lead the way."  He backed off a little on the feelings talk.  He knew she felt something for him, but right now she needed a friend, not a boyfriend.  He was content with that.... for now.  There was no doubt in his mind that she would be his.  As far as he was concerned, she already was. 

*****

Bobby and Rogue were sitting in the kitchen eating ice cream.  Dani smiled, opened the fridge, and started getting out sandwich stuff.

Logan was right on her heels. He was a little annoyed with the way that Icy kid always got defensive whenever he was around.  But after the last week or so, he came to understand the boy a bit.  "Hey kid, anything cold to drink in here?" Logan asked Rogue as he looked in the fridge. 

"There's some pop in the cupboard," Bobby said with a smirk, remembering the last time Logan was thirsty.  Logan grabbed two bottles of Pepsi and put them down in front of Bobby.

Danielle turned around from the counter and watched curiously.  Bobby just put his hands on them and she saw the air crackle with a chill as frost formed on the bottles.  Logan smiled at him and said, "Thanks Frosty."  He grabbed them and gave one to Dani.

"Here Dani," he said.  She had just finished their sandwiches, and handed him one.

"Dani?" Rogue and Bobby asked in unison.

"Danielle.  It's my real name," she said. "Either of you want a sandwich?"

"They're good," Logan said between bites.  Danielle smiled at him.

Rogue was no fool; she knew these two could use some space. "Nah, we just finished our ice cream.  C'mon Bobby, lets go for a walk down by the lake," she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the kitchen.  "Bye Logan, Dani."

Logan chuckled.  Real subtle, kid. 

"She loves you, you know," Danielle said. "Not like him, more like a big brother.  You two are obviously very close."

"We were both a little lost when we ran into each other, and then this place.  We kinda look out for each other."  Logan couldn't help feeling sentimental about the way they met.  She was just a kid, and had seen him just about skewer three guys in a bar, and she wasn't scared of him.  He had been touched, and knew he would always care about Marie. 

Dani was quietly eating her sandwich lost in thoughts of her own.  Logan watched her.  Everything she did was done with the most impeccable manners.  Even drinking from a bottle looked elegant when she did it.  He found himself wondering more and more about the person she was.  She came back from her thoughts and smiled at him.

"What do you think about when you disappear like that?" Logan asked, almost whispering.

"My childhood."

"What were you like?" he asked.

"I was a handful, but I grew out of it," she answered, smiling wickedly at some memory flashing through her mind just then.  "I think my mother must have been the most patient and formidable woman in the world," she added with a hint of grief in her tone.

"She must have loved you very much," Logan said, reaching out to brush a curl from her face.

"She gave up a lot to take care of me.  She knew that I was different even when I was very little.  She tried to keep it a secret.  She knew the way people were treating mutants and she tried to protect me.  That's why we lived in such a remote cabin." She was controlling the tears.  There was no more point in crying.

Logan could sense the pain in her, but admired her for being strong.  "Your powers were evident even then?"  That was unusual.  Mutants didn't usually get their powers until puberty. 

"My mother said I was a prodigy. I didn't use any powers, I think she just sort of knew," Danielle sighed softly, and smiled.  She started cleaning up the dishes.  Logan got up to help her wash their plates.  He was standing very close to her and reached for a plate she'd just rinsed.  His hand touched hers as he took the plate to wipe it.  He was breathing in her scent and it was intoxicating.   He detected a slight change in her scent, and smiled to himself.  I make her nervous. Good.

*****

Rogue laughed brightly as she dragged Bobby outside.  "You are going to have to learn to pick up on my hints.  They needed to be alone, couldn't you tell?" she asked Bobby.

"You really like that walking Ginsu Knife set, don't you?" Bobby asked a little too roughly.

"The man saved my life, -twice.  He and I are very close, -friends.  If you are having trouble wrapping your little mind around that, Bobby Drake, then you can go jump in the lake," she said, with only a slight rise in her volume.  Bobby felt like he had to compete for her affection.  She understood that.  Her feelings for Logan and her feelings for Bobby were completely different.  It would be like comparing apples to oranges. 

She loved Logan.  It had been a schoolgirl crush at first, but she soon realized that ship wouldn't sail.  After he saved her on the Statue of Liberty, she had a pretty good look at some of his thoughts and feelings.  He loved her, but it was a protective brotherly kind of love.  It took her a while to admit that her feelings for him were the same.  He had become her family.

Bobby was another story.  He liked her from the first moment he saw her and she knew it.  The students had been warned about her deadly skin, and gave her plenty of space.  But the first thing he did was get a pair of gloves.  He was never afraid of her.  He had charmed her with ice sculptures and sweet words from her first day in class.  She had loved him for all of that and so much more.  He had tempted fate by kissing her a couple of times, but they had been quick.  She wondered if she and Bobby would ever be able to share more affection than holding gloved hands.

"Marie, I'm sorry.  You know how I feel about you.  Sometimes it's hard to figure out which one of us you prefer, you don't show me your feelings like you do him," Bobby said candidly, and she knew what would put his mind at ease.

"Logan doesn't want to kiss me, he's just my friend.  But you and I, we'll always want more than we can ever have.  The only reason I keep you at a distance is because I don't want to kill you.  I love you too much," she said sadly. 

"Hold that thought, I have a surprise for you," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small gift.  It looked like a toilet paper tube that had been rolled up in tissue paper like a tootsie roll.  "Open it," he said eagerly.  She was so beautiful.  She reminded him of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  Marie was the embodiment of unattainable beauty.  You can look, but you can never touch, upon pain of death.

Rogue opened the gift and pulled out a sheer pink scarf.  It reminded her of a bridal veil, light and soft.  "It's very pretty, thank you Bobby."  She wore scarves around her neck, to help prevent accidental exposure of her skin.  This one would look good with a shirt that Kitty gave her a couple days ago.

"This one is not for wearing, let me show you," Bobby said as he took her wrists and led her around behind the music gallery patio.  There was a group of bushes there that grew together and made a sort of screen.  That would do just fine.  He looked into her big brown eyes and smiled.  He let go of her wrists and draped the scarf over her head.  He took off his gloves and held her face in his hands.  The fabric was so thin, it was barely noticeable, but it gave the protection he had hoped.  She realized it too, and smiled sweetly at him.  That smile alone was worth the price of the scarf.  "Marie, I love you," he declared, and then he kissed her. 

Her first kiss had been a horrifying experience.  The boy had nearly died.  That was a rotten way to find out you were a mutant.  Her parents had disowned her and she ran away from home after that.  That's when she had met Logan, and came to the school.  She took every precaution to keep from touching anyone by accident.  She had dreamed of being able to kiss someone without hurting him, and now she was.  She wrapped her arms around him.  Bobby was so sweet and gentle.  She knew she would cherish the memory of this kiss for the rest of her life... 

*****

With the dishes done Dani asked Logan for the rest of that tour he had started earlier.  There was a lot to the mansion, and she loved it.  They even had a music room.  She smiled when she saw the Steinway at one end of the gallery. 

"Oh, a piano!"  She went right for it, and Logan was left wondering as he followed.  She didn't say another word, but sat down at the piano and rested her fingers on the keys.  She closed her eyes and smiled.  He held his breath.  She was so beautiful sitting there like that.  She lowered her head and started to play.  She played like a master.  Her skill was every bit as good as a concert pianist.  She seemed to be oblivious to his presence.  She had started with a quiet, short piece, but moved on to a very difficult, loud and dramatic piece.

People were coming out of the woodwork to see who was playing.  Rogue and Bobby came in from the patio.  Everyone was impressed to see her playing like that.  Wasn't it just yesterday that she couldn't even speak? 

Logan was suddenly filled with pride.  Dani was incredible.  He felt a lump form in his throat.  Where do girls like that come from? 

She finished the second piece and immediately went into a third.  No one made a sound, they just listened.  The professor came in and her playing moved him.  It was a dark and sad piece that seemed to carry her grief with every note.  She played the whole sonata through, and finally stopped.  She was staring at the keys and seemed to suddenly realize she was not alone.  She timidly turned around to see the entire school watching her.   She gasped, blushed a fire engine red, and disappeared.  Logan bolted up from his chair.

"It's all right Logan, she's just embarrassed," Xavier assured him.  "She went to her room." 

There was a murmuring from the student's.  They had never seen anyone play like that, but they were more impressed with her exit.  Cool Power!  And what's with Logan?

"There was no reason to be embarrassed," Scott said brightly, "She would have made Liberace jealous the way she was playing."

Logan and Jean glared at Scott at exactly the same time, with the same annoyed expression. 

Logan thought he sounded too impressed.  Damned one-eye! He already had a nice girl.  He better steer clear of Dani, if he knows what's good for him.

The kids all scattered, except Rogue.  She went over to where Logan had sat, sulking.  "Ya like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, Kid, I like her a lot. Is that okay with you?" he asked sincerely.  He wasn't being sarcastic; he wanted to know what she thought.

"Yeah, Logan, it's okay with me.  I've found someone," she said blushing, "I think it's time you found someone.  I like Danielle.  I think she likes you a lot, too," Rogue said, smiling.

"What makes you think that?" Logan really wanted to know.

"Girls can tell, we can always tell.  When she left just now, she was looking at you when she blushed," Rogue stated, as if that was proof positive.

He thought about that for a moment.  She had seemed very comfortable around him, and yet nervous.  He had been so worried about her he had missed the signs himself.  He had always known when women found him attractive.  Their bodies reacted chemically and their scents gave them away.  But it was different with Dani.  She behaved around him like they were just close friends.  But there were a couple moments that made him wonder.  She had reacted to him like she was attracted to him.  He let that thought soak in a moment.

"What should I do?  I don't want to move too fast, she's still adjusting.  But I want to make sure everyone knows she's not on the market," Logan said possessively.  He liked having someone he could talk to about this other than the professor.

Rogue laughed, "I'd say that Danielle is the only one in the mansion that doesn't know you're in love with her." She looked at him with a cocked brow, a trait he could swear she got from him.

Love.  There was that word.  That word didn't enter into his vocabulary often.  He never even thought it in reference to a woman for as long as he could remember.  Not even Jean could drag a word like that from him.   He loved to ride ol' Scooter's motorcycle.  He loved a good cigar.  He loved a steak grilled to perfection with an ice-cold beer on the side.  You don't let yourself love a woman.  But the word was out there, and he suddenly couldn't deny what he hadn't admitted, even to himself.  He was in love with Dani. 

"Is it really that obvious?" Logan asked feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You have a reputation for being a bit of a, shall we say, grouch?  But the past couple days you've been acting like you just found the end of the rainbow.  You have been...pleasant, even to Bobby.  You faun over her, and then go nuts when she disappears.  You've hardly let her out of your sight.  Logan, you're a basket case," Rogue said seriously.

It was true, every word.  He needed a break.  He needed to cool down.  He was losing his objectivity.  -He wanted to go see if she was all right.  Yup, he knew he was whipped.

Bobby was standing in the doorway.  "You better go half pint, he might get jealous, you spending so much time with this 'pleasant' guy," Logan teased.

"Nah, Bobby knows better.  I love you both, but ...well, you know," she said as she ran to the door.

Yeah, he knew.  Like a brother, Dani had said.  That's okay, he thought of her as a little sister.  Logan hoped Frosty was good to her; he'd hate to have to rough him up.  He looked over at the piano.  He couldn't even play chopsticks.  He had to go see her, no more denial.  Everyone knew anyway.  Why try to hide it now?

*****

Storm was walking out of the gallery when she saw Kurt sitting on a bench by the door to the patio.  She went over to him.  He smiled at her and invited her to sit with him.

"She plays well.  It reminded me of my days at the circus.  A friend of mine there, Gustav, played the calliope, but he also played classical piano music," Kurt told her as he looked out the window.  

"Do you miss the circus, and your friends there?"  Storm asked him.

"Not when you are around," he said as he turned to face her. 

Kurt's personality didn't fit his appearance.  His skin was a dark cobalt blue.  His eyes were yellow, and he had pointed ears and teeth.  He had a long prehensile tail, and when he transported, he left a cloud of black smoke in his wake.  Those features reminded Storm of the gargoyles that guarded the roofline of the cathedral he had been hiding in.  But he was a gentle and soft-spoken man, and he was very shy.   His harsh features were softened by a bright smile.  Storm looked into his eyes, and saw the emotion behind his words.  His shyness was gone, and he was putting his heart on his sleeve for her to see.  She leaned over and kissed him affectionately on the cheek.  He closed his eyes, basking in the intimacy of her lips' caress.

"Storm," he said huskily, "would you like to walk with me?" 

Storm reached up and ran her fingers through his curly black hair.  "I kiss you, and you want to go for a walk?" she asked seductively.

He wrapped his arms around her in an affectionate embrace, and the two of them disappeared, leaving behind a little black smoke, and the faint smell of sulfur.   They reappeared in the kitchen, which was empty.  "I just realized I don't know where we should go," Kurt said against her cheek.

Ororo smiled and led him to the pantry door.  "This will do fine for the moment," she said, smiling.

*****

Danielle had locked the door, fallen face down on the bed, and buried her head under her pillow.  She could not believe she had just done that.  She had always been a little obsessive with music.  She could completely shut out the world when she played.  She wondered if there was a single person in the school who hadn't been standing there staring.  Oh, of course, the professor was sitting there staring.  Well, sulking wasn't helping.  She decided to go to the gym Logan had showed her.  She looked in the closet for something appropriate.  Shorts and a sport bra were the best she could find.  She changed, put her X-men sweatshirt on, and orbed herself to the gym.  Empty.  Good.  She made sure the door was closed, and turned on the light.

There was an assortment of equipment for everything from gymnastics to boxing to weights.  There was a big open area with the balance beam set up.  Dani thought of her days playing in the woods by her home, and all her practice orbing.  She had gotten good at it, and was just beginning to learn a new skill when she had been taken.  She needed to see if she could still do it. 

She took off her sweatshirt, and orbed herself onto the beam.  She used to balance on a log across the creek behind her cabin.  She had gotten pretty good at staying dry before she was taken. The beam was narrower, though.  She tried a handstand.  She closed her eyes, and balanced herself on her hands.  She was in perfect control, and could almost see the room around her in her head.  She balanced onto one hand, and started glowing faintly. 

Danielle was relaxed, clearing her mind.  She felt very light, and was balanced on the very tip of her longest finger.  She thought about the stillness of the trees near her home.  A peaceful feeling overwhelmed her and she started slowly rotating on the tip of her finger.  She had stayed where she was, but was actually floating several inches above the beam now.  She concentrated on some of the smaller objects in the room.  She started making dumbbells transport from one end of the room to the other.  She imagined what she wanted them to do, and they obeyed.  She made a sort of musical chairs game of it, keeping several going at once.  Each one disappeared and reappeared in different places.

Logan reached her door and immediately knew Dani was gone.  She hadn't used the door to leave, so he couldn't follow her scent.  He closed his eyes and swore.  He was going to take that break.  He was going to go demolish that punching bag down in the gym.  That might make him feel better.  He went to his room, threw on his sweats, and went downstairs.

As he turned the corner toward the gym entrance he froze.  He caught a familiar scent.  It was Dani, she was in the gym, and she was working out.  He saw flashes of light under the door, like a bunch of cameras going off inside.  He quietly opened the door just enough to look inside.  He could hardly believe what he was seeing.  She was hanging upside down in the air!  She seemed to be in a trance, glowing, and slowly spinning like a top.  Dumbbells were transporting around the room at startling speed.  Then, one by one, they returned to the rack in the corner.  She stopped spinning and lowered herself to the beam on both hands.  She orbed herself into a standing position in the same spot, but lost her balance and fell to the floor.  Logan cringed, and stifled a laugh.  Oh yeah, that was graceful. Good thing she heals fast, that had to hurt.

She never looked at him, he wondered if she knew he was there.  He decided to just stand back and watch.  She looked good.  She was wearing almost nothing, and was drenched in sweat.  Whatever that was she was doing had obviously taken a lot of concentration and energy.  She slowly got up, brushed herself off, and orbed her sweatshirt from the floor to her hand.

"The gym is free now," she said, and disappeared.

Yup, she knew he was there.  He chuckled.  What was she doing anyway?  Her abilities were complex, and required a lot of control.  He had never seen anything quite like that before.  He realized he'd thought that a lot lately, and always about her.  Well, she obviously wanted her space.  He could respect that.  He was going to pulverize that punching bag.

Danielle was debating about ever leaving her room again.  Twice in one day!  Embarrassing moments always came in bunches.  Did that man have radar for finding her?  He was nice, and she liked him, but good grief!  A girl likes a little privacy when she works out, especially when she is a hopeless klutz.  Well at least she found out she could still move objects like that.  She needed to practice.  She couldn't take ten minutes to meditate before using her power if it was going to be of any use to her and the X-men. 

She showered and changed, and decided not to go to dinner.  She did not want to run into Logan again today.  She tried to think of another dinner option, and decided she'd better not leave the mansion.  She had promised the professor she wouldn't, at least not without telling him first.  Since that promise was made just this morning, it was a little soon to start breaking it.  She orbed to the kitchen, made a quick sandwich, poured a glass of milk and orbed back to her room.  She was sure she wasn't seen and she congratulated herself on a successful mission.  She hadn't noticed Storm and Kurt, hiding in the pantry, watching her.  She sat on her bed and ate her sandwich before turning in.

*****

At dinner, Logan waited for Dani, but she never showed.  He kept watching the door to the dining room.  He was in a bad mood for the first time since Dani woke up yesterday.  Everyone noticed, and no one dared to sit next to him, except Storm and Kurt. 

"Good evening, Logan.  I don't think you've really had a chance to meet Kurt properly," Storm said brightly.  She knew he was sulking and was trying to get his mind off of Danielle.

"I am very pleased to meet you.  My name is Kurt Wagner, but in the circus I was known as the amazing Nightcrawler," Kurt said cordially.

Logan snorted, but made an effort to be polite, "Nice ta meet ya, Kurt, I'm Logan." 

"You can stop looking for Danielle.  She snuck into the kitchen a while ago and raided the fridge.  She must still be embarrassed about her little concert," Storm informed him.

"It wasn't the concert that kept her away.  I caught her in the gym practicing her powers," Logan admitted.  "Charles is going to want to talk to her real soon.  She can do a lot more than we have seen.  I think I know why Stryker was so interested in her."  Logan had been doing a lot of thinking since she orbed out of the gym.  "Hey, Elf, can you make objects transport from one place to another, or just yourself?"

"I can transport objects with me if I am touching them, and they're not too big," Kurt told him plainly.

"Is that what you saw her do?" Storm interrupted.

"Yeah, she was having a field day with the dumbbells in the gym, only she didn't need to be touching them.  She seemed to be meditating or something.  She was floating in the air.  It's hard to describe, you kinda had to be there." Logan still couldn't quite believe what he saw.

"Danielle and I have totally different powers.  We can both transport, but I can tell you it is done completely differently.  I saw her transport to the kitchen.  She uses some kind of energy.  I think she uses the same energy to heal, and make things move.  It's like she has one power that does a lot of things.  At least that's what I believe," Kurt was surprisingly observant.

"That makes a lot of sense, Elf, er... Kurt," Logan corrected himself to be more polite.  The blue guy was soft-spoken, almost shy, but he was all right.  Storm obviously liked him, and she was a good judge of character. 

"Elf is fine," Kurt said.  Picking up a nickname so quickly was usually a sign of friendship, or hostility.  He could tell Logan liked him, so he took it as a compliment.

"Maybe you should go talk to Charles," Storm suggested.

Logan looked across the room to where Xavier sat talking to Jean.  He wasn't a bit surprised to see him watching them, with a knowing look. "I don't think he missed any of this conversation," he said, "What else is there to say?"

What else indeed? Xavier thought.

*****

Dani was ready for bed when she heard a knock at the door.  She dreaded answering it.  It would probably be Logan, and she would end up blushing a lot and wishing she could hide.  She held her breath and waited, thinking he would take a hint and go away.  Then she heard the knock again.  She checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was decent enough to open the door.

"Danielle, its Scott.  You remember, Cyclops?" he said.  "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."

Cyclops.  There's a mysterious fellow.  The few times she'd seen him, he hadn't said a word.  What did he want?  She opened the door.  He was standing there in a polo shirt and khaki pants.  Wow, this guy never relaxed, did he?  He was holding a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it.  He smiled at her.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Oh, uh...sure," she said, opening the door wide for him to enter.  "Sorry.  I wasn't expecting anyone this late." 

"You missed dinner, so I saved you a piece of cake," he said as he set it down on the table by her bed.  Her room was perfectly neat, and her bed was still made.  There was a book sitting on the bed, and it was obvious she had been reading when he knocked.  She was wearing a big pink T-shirt that hung to her knees.  It had a picture of a haggard housewife in a bathrobe and curlers, holding a cup of coffee.  The caption read, 'I don't do mornings.'  Scott chuckled and pointed.  She looked down at her shirt and laughed.

"It's not quite that bad, but some days I really need that coffee," she said smiling.  "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I realized that I never got the chance to thank you for saving Jean's life," Scott said,   "I wanted you to know how much..."

Dani raised a hand to stop him.  "You don't need to say anything, Scott.  It's over.  I would have done that for anyone," She told him.

"You don't understand.  Jean and I had been going through a hard time, and you gave me a second chance to make it right.  I don't know how I could ever..."  Scott was serious, and he wanted her to know he wasn't just saying this.  He meant it.

"Just don't bring it up again, and we'll call it even," she interrupted.

Scott studied her for a moment.  She was sitting on the end of the bed, and he sat down next to her.  "The Lab, what was it like?" he asked.

"You were there, and they weren't very nice to you.  What do you think it was like?"  Dani asked him sarcastically.

"I think it was very lonely," Scott said seriously.

His insightful answer had really surprised her.  She turned to look at him.  Scott wasn't the stuck up jerk she'd expected.  She looked at his thick red shades.  She didn't like not being able to see his eyes.  She learned a lot about a person from their eyes.  Wearing dark glasses all the time seemed to isolate Scott.  Loneliness was something they had in common. 

"You can't ever take those glasses off, can you?" she asked softly.

"No," Scott said soberly as he looked into her eyes.  He understood Logan's interest in Danielle.  There was more to her than meets the eye.  Not many people think about the drawbacks to his optic gift.  She was very sensitive. 

"I wish I could see them," she said sadly, "eyes are the windows to the soul," she said smiling.  She paused thoughtfully before adding, "But I don't need to see your eyes to know that you have a good heart.  I can see why you're the leader."

Scott smiled.  It was such a sincere compliment, he was touched.   "Well, it's getting late.  I'll let you get some rest," he said as he got up to leave.  He paused at her door and looked at her a moment, trying to think of something to say that would make her feel welcome.  He didn't want her to think that Logan was her only friend here.  "Dani, I'm glad you're here.  I hope you decide to stay and join the team."

"Goodnight, Scott," she said.  Scott seemed like a good guy.  She wondered what color his eyes were.